Four-lined plant bug, herbaceous perennials

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IPM Scouting in Herbaceous Perennials

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Four-lined plant bug

Four-lined plant bug nymphs and adults move very rapidly when disturbed. Young nymphs are red-orange with black markings on the thorax.Four-lined plant bug feeds on a wide variety of herbaceous perennials. It overwinters in the egg stage.

Management: Remove weeds and plant debris from adjacent areas. Contact insecticides may be applied when nymphs and adults are present.

Four-lined plant bug adults are slender, 6 mm long, green or yellow and oval-shaped with four distinct black stripes on the wings.

Four-lined plant bug feeding results in pale, round, depressed spots 1 to 3 mm long on leaves. These spots turn brown and may coalesce, forming large brown blotches.

This information was developed from A Pocket Guide for IPM Scouting in Herbaceous Perennials by Jan Byrne and Raymond A. Cloyd. Purchase this in a pocket-sized guide for reference in the orchard from MSU Extension (publication E-2981).

The MSU IPM Program maintains this site as an access point to pest management information at MSU. The IPM Program is administered within the Department of Entomology, fueled by research from the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, delivered to citizens through MSU Extension, and proud to be a part of Project GREEEN.
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Updated 8/07/07