Egg-laying, which begins shortly after adult emergence, occurs principally on vegetables, weeds and legumes. Occasionally, eggs are deposited in peach trees and a few individual insects develop. These insects appear in peach trees during the pink bud stage. Following their feeding activities, damaged buds, blossoms and small fruits usually fall. Large peaches develop sunken, corky areas.
Populations decline shortly after petal fall, as the bugs are attracted to other hosts.
Occasionally they are found in peach trees after shucksplit. These stink bugs are the first species of economic importance to attack peaches in the spring. They emerge from hibernation and fly to peach trees in increasing numbers from the late-bloom stage until about the week after shucksplit. They migrate to other plant hosts during the following 3 weeks. Damage caused by stink bugs is particularly severe, because they attack early in the season when the fruit is small.