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Click on the links above to go to the Rice Insect Fact Sheets page or to go to the Rice Insects home page.
Common Name: Southern green stink bug Scientific name: Nezara viridula (L.)
The adult is shield-shaped about ½- to 3/4-inch in length with an overall dull green color. The eggs are white to light yellow. The nymphs develop through five stages, varying in color from black for very small nymphs to green for larger nymphs. Development from egg to adult requires about 5 weeks, but varies with temperature. As many as five generations per year may occur with greater numbers appearing in the fall before adults overwinter.
Damage caused by adult: The southern green stink bug has piercing-sucking mouth parts. Usually it is first noticed as dead or dying leaves on isolated plants or groups of plants. The damage caused by southern green stink bugs feeding on rice may be confined to an area as small as 3 feet in diameter to several acres in size. Damaged areas are usually localized in a field rather than uniform throughout. Stunted plants, killed growing points and dead leaves are all signs of stink bug injury.
Facts: The southern green stink bug has one of the widest host ranges of any insect pest. Not surprisingly then, it is occasionally a pest of rice. Even though the problem is sporadic, when southern green stink bugs feed on rice, they can cause significant damage.
What should you look for: Usually, it is first noticed as dead or dying leaves on isolated plants or groups of plants. Injured plants will often have a piercing injury that was inflicted when the leaf was rolled. For this reason, you will find a series of perforations that run around the diameter of the unfurled leaf from one edge to the other. In some cases, the leaf will fold along these perforations and the tip will break off leaving a ragged edge.
How you can manage southern green stink bug: Parasites (wasps and flies) might provide sufficient biological control of the southern green stink bug. Southern green stink bugs may occasionally attack rice in Louisiana. The numbers of this insect in rice field are usually below levels justifying treatment, but they may increase rapidly under favorable conditions and yield losses can occur.
