Feeding damage ultimately results in lowered seed production and quality. The second generation adults, emerging in June and July, cause most of the damage. They feed by sucking plant sap. As they feed, a toxic saliva is introduced into the plant, causing distortion, drop of terminal buds, wilting, stunting and die-back. First generation injury may occur to crops when nymphs feed on buds after pollination or when adults feed on fast-growing terminal shoots and developing fruit during June and July.
Damage is often highest on the edges of crops.
Damage to tree fruit crops may be intensified when weather conditions are unfavourable for weed hosts during June and July. The situation is further aggravated because fruit thinning has already been done, lowering the threshold for injury. Fruit crop losses vary from location to location and species to species. Heavily-infested alfalfa fields blossom normally but drop their flowers prematurely and developing seeds shrivel and fail to mature. Alfalfa Plant Bug Natural enemies include damsel bugs, bigeyed bugs, ladybird beetles, lace wings, minute pirate bugs and spiders.