By Peter Ellsworth and Lydia Brown
University of Arizona
In Arizona, we have many species of stink bugs; the species pictured above are encountered in cotton, alfalfa, and other crops. Some are occasional or potential pests of cotton. In the collection pictured, the two columns on the left are The Brown Stink Bug (BSB), Eushistus servus, which has been a pest of cotton, especially in the past few years. Green-colored stink bugs like Say’s Stink Bugs, Chlorochroa sayi, pictured in the third column, and Thyanta pallidovirens, pictured in the far right column, are also potentially damaging species in cotton. The gray, brown, or cryptically-colored stink bugs pictured in the fourth column are Brochymena species that are not known to be damaging to cotton and are more often associated with trees.
A large leaf-footed bug, the “mesquite” bug, pictured in the bottom right corner (note the swollen hind femurs), are not stink bugs and do not damage cotton, but are showing up in cotton this year. They are more often associated with mesquite trees, which are fruiting this time of year.
