Tarnished Plant Bug

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Tarnished Plant Bug Adult on Pepper Flower

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Beginner

Scientific Name
Lygus lineolaris

Identification

Adults:
- Characteristic shiny yellow to brown-black appearance
- Distinctive triangular pattern on their backs
- About 5 mm (1/5 in.) long
- Fly from plant to plant
Nymphs:
- Green
- Small, wingless, and move very quickly when disturbed
- Progress through five instars before moulting to adults
Damage:
- Adults and nymphs feed on stems and flowers, causing flower drop
- They also feed on fruit, causing indentations or holes, and corkiness of the flesh, where the fruit is stung by piercing-sucking mouthparts
- The fruit may become misshapen or may crack at the wound

Often Confused With
Aphids
Stink Bug

Period of Activity
Tarnished plant bugs are of concern when the fruit is present. They may move into a tomato field when surrounding vegetation dries up or after nearby cereal or forage harvest.

Scouting Notes
Inspect the fruit for damage. You may find nymphs by shaking the foliage onto a light-coloured surface. Adults move very quickly.

Thresholds
None established.

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Advanced

Scientific Name
Lygus lineolaris

Identification
Adult tarnished plant bugs (TPBs) have a characteristic shiny yellow to brown-black appearance with a distinctive triangular pattern on their backs. They are about 5 mm (1/5 in.) long.

The green nymphs are small, wingless and move very quickly when disturbed. Although they look like aphids when they are small, the rapid movement of TPB nymphs and their lack of the characteristic aphid cornicles or "tailpipes" make them easy to identify. Nymphs progress through five instars before moulting to adults. The final three instars have wing pads.

TPB damage is generally confined to the fruit of tomato. TPB adults and nymphs may feed on stems and flowers, causing flower drop. They also feed on fruit, causing indentations or holes, and corkiness of the flesh, where the fruit is stung by the piercing-sucking mouthparts. The fruit may become misshapen or may crack at the wound.

Often Confused With
Aphids
Stink bug

Biology
The insect overwinters as an adult in hedgerows, weedy areas and woods. In the spring it migrates to preferred hosts to lay eggs. Nymphs develop on these hosts until their wings develop as they become adults. The insect is most susceptible to control at this time. Because of their relative immobility, cutting alfalfa that has a high population of young nymphs will cause the nymphs to starve. There are three to five generations of tarnished plant bug per year.