December 2024 First Friday with Florida First Detector

Recap of December 2024 First Friday with Florida First Detector

We finished out the calendar year talking about stink bugs and related insects. We focused on invasive insects in the subfamily Heteroptera. The subfamily Heteroptera includes not just stink bugs, but also lots of other true bugs like plant bugs, assassin bugs, bed bugs, leaf footed bugs, water scorpions and more!

While we covered a lot in our monthly webinar, we focused on two invasive species that are not yet found in Florida. We talked in detail about the bagrada bug (Bagrada hilaris) and spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula). Both are hemipteran insects in the subfamily Heteroptera. They have a piecing sucking mouthpart that pieces into plants and causes damage. As with many invasive species, both can cause problems in agriculture and horticulture. Bagrada bug is a stink bug pest of cruciferous crops like cabbage, broccoli, kale, cauliflower and more. Spotted lanternfly can damage hardwoods and fruit trees like maple, oak, sycamore, peaches and others. Florida grows many crops affected by both of these species. If either species enter Florida, early detection is key to stop the potential impacts to agriculture and horticulture.

Bagrada bug is a small stink bug, about 5-7mm long as an adult. It is black with white and orange to red markings. The nymphs, or young bagrada bugs, are more rounded with more red markings than black or white. Spotted lanternfly is larger (about an inch or 25mm in length as an adult) , and quite flashy. When they open their wings, you can see their bright red hindwings. At rest, they are usually a brownish gray with black spots on the forewings. The nymphs also sport the red color and have a mostly red body with white and black markings.

Both bagrada bug and spotted lanternfly have already been found in the United States, but to date, neither is in Florida. In recent years both species have spread to additional states. There is a risk that at some point, they get accidentally moved to Florida. For this reason, it is important for us to be on the look out for anything that looks similar to either species. If you spot a pest you don’t recognize, reach out to your local county extension office for help with identification!

Resources on Invasive Stink Bugs

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What is the upcoming schedule?

We are meeting online via Zoom from 12:00PM-1:00PM on the First Friday of every month from Sept 2022-Aug 2025. Maybe longer too! Please visit this blog for registration information and the upcoming schedule for Sept. 2024-2025.

Questions?

Contact Dr. Morgan Pinkerton, morgan0402@ufl.edu

Visit the Florida First Detector Website