Egg - When first laid, the 1.4 x 1.2 mm barrel-shaped eggs of
the green stink bug are yellow to green, later turning pink to
gray. The white kettle-shaped eggs of the brown stink bug are
slightly smaller than those of the green stink bug. Leaffooted
bug eggs are slightly keg shaped. Nymph - Nymphs of all three
bugs are smaller than, yet similar in shape to the adults. Green
stink bug nymphs are predominantly black when small, but as they
mature, they become green with orange and black markings. Nymphs
of the brown species are light green. Leaffooted bug nymphs are
bright red. Host Plants - Stink bugs feed on over 52 plants,
including native and ornamental trees, shrubs, vines, weeds, and
many cultivated crops. The preferred hosts are nearly all wild
plants. Stink bugs build up on these hosts and move to
cultivated hosts as their preferred food becomes unpalatable.
Among vegetable crops, stink bugs attack bean and cowpea seeds,
okra pods, ripening tomato fruit, and stems of melons and
asparagus. Bean, cowpea,