Harlequin cabbage bug
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| Harlequin cabbage bug | ||||||||||||||
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| Murgantia histrionica (Hahn, 1834) |
The harlequin cabbage bug (Murgantia histrionica) also known as calico bug or fire bug is a true bug of the family Pentatomidae. Found throughout most of North America they can be a major pest to crops such as broccoli, cabbage, radish, the ornamental flower cleome, and numerous others. Nymphs are active during the summer and in the South they can achieve 3 generations a year. In the North there is only 1 generation a year and the insects overwinter as adults.
Organic control involves hand-picking the insects off the plants (they can be dropped into soapy water to drown them) and being especially careful to remove and destroy all the eggs, which are black-and-white striped and laid in clutches of twelve. Despite their "warning coloration", they are non-toxic and can be safely fed to poultry or pet reptiles or amphibians.
[edit] References
- Milne, Lorus & Margery (1980) The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects & Spiders Alfred A. Knopf, Inc
[edit] External links
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