Among vegetable crops, stink bugs feed on bean and cowpea seeds, okra pods, ripening tomato fruit, and stems of melons, and asparagus. Stink bugs build up their numbers on these hosts and move to cultivated hosts as their preferred food becomes overly mature. The preferred hosts are nearly all wild plants. Stink Bugs & Leaf-footed Bugsįrank Peairs, Colorado State University, Stink bugs feed on over 52 plants, including native and ornamental trees, shrubs, vines, weeds, and many cultivated crops. During the winter, feeding and reproduction occur at a much slower rate. Once settled, these aphids begin reproducing, and the life cycle continues as before. At this time, nymphs develop into winged adults and migrate to new host plants.
The life cycle continues in this manner until overcrowding occurs or food becomes scarce. During warm weather, each of these nymphs matures in two or three weeks. Without mating, wingless females give birth to about 50 live nymphs. In South Carolina, female potato aphids feed and reproduce year-round. These include various mosaics, leaf roll, spindle tuber, and unmottled curly dwarf. Aphids tend to spread rapidly from field to field transmitting a number of viral diseases. Heavily-infested plants turn brown and die from the top down. As a result, blossoms are shed and yield is reduced. Aphids pierce veins, stems, growing tips, and blossoms with their needlelike mouthparts. Sporadic in occurrence, potato aphid infestations are rarely severe enough to kill plants. Although slightly smaller than adults, nymphs are similar in color and shape. Adult females give birth to live young, called nymphs. The egg stage does not occur in South Carolina. Usually wingless, it is about ⅛-inch long and has a pair of long, slender tailpipe-like appendages known as cornicles. This soft-bodied, pear-shaped insect may be solid pink, green and pink mottled, or light green with a dark stripe. Weeds such as ragweed, lambsquarters, jimsonweed, pigweed, shepherd’s purse, and wild lettuce are also common food plants. Some important cultivated hosts include potato, tomato, eggplant, sunflower, pepper, pea, bean, apple, turnip, corn, sweet potato, asparagus, clover, and rose. Potato aphids infest a wide range of host plants. They are common visitors to home vegetable gardens in South Carolina. Carner, and P.A.C Ooi, Insects and their Natural Enemies Associated with Vegetables and Soybean in Southeast Asia, Potato aphids ( Macrosiphum euphorbiae) occur throughout North America. Potato aphid infestation ( Macrosiphum euphorbiae).
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