The thermometer readings and humidity levels are climbing, but they have yet to reach the misery point.
If able to speak, most of the insect population would likely disagree. They prefer a sultry environment which creates ideal growing conditions for plants cultivated both for food and landscape ornamentation.
As such, both the insect herbivores and carnivores have only to eat, reproduce in high numbers, and eat some more.
For the beneficial bugs, and even the benign, this population explosion attracts only passing notice from people spending rare moments in the steamy climate. The destructive arthropods however, such as the stinkbug, induce concern and reaction.
Stinkbugs are a common site in vegetable gardens and landscapes during the warmer parts of the year in panhandle Florida. Most, but not all, are considered destructive pests.
Stinkbugs, which are members of the Pentatomidae family, have a well-deserved reputation for bad behavior and odor. Curiously, the scientific name Pentatomidae means five sections, referring to the insect’s body parts.
Panhandle Florida is currently seeing a growing population of all this family’s malodorous members. Vegetable gardeners are particularly concerned as these insects damage both the plants and the vegetable products produced.
Two stinkbug species are exotic pests and not original to the local environment. The southern green stink bug is believed to have originated in Ethiopia with its distribution now including the tropical and subtropical regions of Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas.
In North America, it is limited primarily to the southeastern United States, Ohio and Arkansas in the Midwest, and to Texas in the southwest. It is also established in Hawaii and California.
The adult is easy to recognize with a shield-shaped body and an overall dull green color. The eyes are dark red or black. The average length for males and females is about half an inch. Females can lay eggs three to four weeks after becoming adults, laying as many as 260 eggs over her life span.
This stinkbug is taking a sip of juice from a spiderwort. If only that were its preferred choice. In reality, they drink from a wide variety of plants. Their activity damages the plant by leaving a wound and sometimes transmitting diseases from plant to plant.
The other exotic member is the Kudzu bug. Its length is less than one quarter inch and it originated in Japan.
These exotic stinkbugs work like most of the stinkbugs worldwide, using their mouth parts to pierce tender plant tissues and suck juices out. This trait is not an issue until it interferes with suburban landscapes or commercial agriculture.
Farmers and homeowners alike have spent countless sums fighting the hordes of stinkbugs dining on plants and foliage which are held in high value. Tender vegetation and immature vegetables are particularly attractive to stinkbugs and especially vulnerable to their stiff proboscis which is used to pierce and then suck plant juices.
Behavior and popularity aside, the stinkbug does use an internal chemical weapons system to deliver a foul-smelling substance for its personal safety and protection. This anti-predator adaptation is located in the stinkbug’s thorax pores and is hard to miss when it expends all its reeking resources.
Given its behavior in addition to a preference for hot, humid environments, the stinkbug is likely to remain a very unpopular insect.
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