Cotton Seed Bug, Oxycarenus hyalinipennis

April 2010, Oxycarenus hyalinipennis (cotton seed bug), a major pest of cotton, has been detected for the first time in the United States on Stock Island.

As the name suggests, this is a bug with transparent wings. The rest of the body is dark, giving the bug a contrasting black and white appearance. The head is shaped like the head of a rat. The bugs are about 1/8 of an inch long. Nymphs can be reddish in color. These bugs are seed feeders. For practical purposes, if large numbers of small bugs are found feeding on cotton seeds (inside open bolls) or seeds of other malvaceous plants, for example, okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) or Hibiscus spp., it is a suspect colony, and samples should be collected and inform the Monroe County Extension Agent at 305-292-4501 or kgabel@ufl.edu.

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