Pest Status: Plant bugs feed on a number of different plants. Although they can do some damage, they are not considered serious plant pests.
Appearance: The adult is about 1/4-inch long. It is light brown and variously spotted. The white, yellow, and black spots give the insect a tarnished appearance, but their is a clear, yellow, triangle, marked with a black dot on the lower third of each side.
Life Cycle: The adults and older nymphs overwinter under leaf litter. They become active in the spring and the females lay eggs on leaves and plant buds. Ten days later, the eggs hatch. It takes three to four weeks for the nymphs to develop to the adult stage.
Where to Collect: Plant bugs are routinely found on early colonizing plants, often in meadows and weedy patches that are left to flower.
Purdue Extension Entomology, 901 West State Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907 USA, (765) 494-4554