- Author: Ben Faber
Our friend Jane Delahoyde has been finding new things on citrus. She first found leaffooted bug on lemons in late September and now has found it on mandarin. The finds are not geographically connected, so it appears to be that this stink bug relative is deciding the native vegetation is not so palatable and that it would rather feed on irrigated citrus.
Leaffooted bugs are medium to large sized insects that feed on fruits, fruiting vegetables, nuts, and ornamentals. They have piercing-sucking mouthparts that allow them to feed on plant parts, particularly seeds. Leaffooted bugs are in the family Coreidae and get their name from the small leaf-like enlargements found on the hind leg. They are closely related to other sucking insects, such as stink bugs (family Pentatomidae) that can also suck juices from plants.
Large aggregations of leaffooted bugs can also leave excrement on the surface of the fruit that can reduce its aesthetic appeal. Feeding on small fruit (e.g., lemons) can cause the fruit to abort, while feeding on medium-sized fruit can result in depressions or discoloration at the feeding site as the fruit expands and ripens. Feeding on mature fruit can cause slight discoloration to the surface of the fruit that should be of no concern to backyard gardeners, but pose problems for commercial growers.
More: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74168.html
Leaffooted Bug on Mandarin, right square in the middle of the fruit
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- Author: Ben Faber
It is possible to blame a lot of things on the Drought, and here's another one. There have been reports of damaged fruit from the leaffooted bug - Leptoglossus occidentalis, although there are other species. This is a relative of stinkbugs which we have been seeing quite a number of this year. Bagrada Bug and the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug are also stink bugs.
The adults overwinter in wild areas on grasses and other hosts. Cool winters will often kill many of the adults, and in Southern California after a warm winter many survive. When the hills and surrounding areas dry up, they move to where they can find food – an orchard, a field, a backyard. They especially like fruit, which they pierce and suck, and older insects will inject an enzyme to digest the seed in the fruit. The piercing will cause a blemish to the fruit, but often it is still edible. Common fruits attacked are citrus, tomato and pomegranate. Nut crops can be heavily affected.
One of the problems with this pest is that the damage is seen long after the insect has departed, died, parasitized or predated. So, it is too late to spray. Mandarins, navels, figs and pomegranates could now be showing low level symptoms of the attack of these bugs.
Populations of these bugs fluctuate from year to year. Symptoms of damage often look like those of other stink bugs or even wind scarring. For more information see:
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74168.html
Image top to bottom:
Damage to citrus
Eggs
Adult