Bagrada Bug Quick Tips Natural Pest Control

1. AUGUST 2013
Statewide IPM Program
Host range
SURENDRA DARA, UCCE
JOHN PALUMBO,
UNIV. OF ARIZ.
Similar stink bug
Bagrada bug adults
have the same color-ing
as harlequin
bugs, but are small-er,
about a quarter
to a third the size,
with smaller orange
markings.
If you find a stink bug you suspect is
Bagrada bug in a county where it hasn’t
been reported, place it in a container,
carefully note where and when you col-lected
it, and take the sealed container to
your county agricultural commissioner or
UC Cooperative Extension office. To learn
where Bagrada bug is established and how
to manage it, go to the UC IPM web site.
Bagrada bugs use their needlelike mouthparts to pierce and feed
on plants and their seeds. Damage can include leaf spotting,
wilting, stunting, central stem tip death causing multiple branches
or crowns, and death of the whole plant.
Damage on (left to right) cauliflower, cabbage and broccoli.
Bagrada bug prefers plants in the mustard family, such as sweet
alyssum, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale, radish,
rutabaga, and weeds such as London rocket, shepherd’s-purse, and
wild mustard. It is reported to feed on other plant families as well.
While bugs may move to other areas on their own, do not transport
infested plants or produce into new areas.
Impact of Bagrada bug on plants
How it spreads
Report any sightings
For more information, visit www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/EXOTIC
You can help stop a new pest by recognizing and reporting it.
ERIC T. NATWICK, UCCE
JOHN PALUMBO,
UNIV. OF ARIZ.
SURENDRA DARA, UCCE (INSETS)

Actual
adult size
3/16 to 1/4
inch
Younger (red)
and older (black)
Bagrada bug
nymphs
ADULTS: Black with
orange and white
markings. Females are
larger than males.
Bagrada bug, Bagrada hilaris, is an invasive stink bug spread-ing
through western Arizona and southern California since
2008, causing severe crop, nursery, and landscape losses.
Bagrada bugs gather on plants in large groups. In agriculture,
Bagrada bug is a pest of cole crops and other mustard family
plants. In home gardens it feeds on these same vegetables and
on ornamental plants such as sweet alyssum and candytuft.
How to identify Bagrada bug
Bagrada Bug
EGGS: Laid singly or in
small clusters on underside of
leaves, stems, or on soil under-neath
plants. Eggs are initially
white and turn orange-red as
they get older.
WINGLESS NYMPHS: Young Bagrada bugs change color from
bright orange to red with dark markings as they get older. Newly
molted nymphs and adults are also red but quickly darken.