Close the current picture before viewing another. Immature stink bug Brown stink bug adult Brown stink bug adult and damage Drawing of Dusky Stink Bug Tarnished plant bugs, Lygus lineolaris , other plant bugs, and various species of stink bugs feed on various tree fruits and on many wild and cultivated plants and make up a unique pest complex. Nymphs are pale yellow to green. Stink bugs are broadly shield-shaped, flattened, with a narrow head and rather short legs, and are green to brown. All have the front half of the forewing leathery and the back half membranous.
Compound eyes are normally large.
These bugs feed by sucking sap from plants. They are believed to inject a toxic substance into the plant when feeding to break down plant tissues. Their feeding is very destructive to fruit and other tender plant parts. On apples, tarnished plant bugs feed on developing fruitlets and cause dimpling. Earliest injury to peaches is caused by tarnished plant bugs, other Lygus spp. , and possibly stink bugs, which are active in the early spring.