possibly Two Spotted Stink Bug but without the spots!!!!

danielj

February 17th, 2006 at 1:00 am

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Please id this bug for me
Hi Bug Man,
My kids found this bug in our house today; we live in NW Illinois. At first they thought it was a box elder bug or a shield bug, but I’m pretty sure it’s not one of those. I’ve searched the "beetles" and "true bugs" sections of your site, and can’t find it. We homeschool, so our regular lessons got dropped today for a little entemology! Can you help?
Thanks!
Sue

perillus stinkbug sue possibly Two Spotted Stink Bug but without the spots!!!!

Hi Sue,
Our website is not without its flaws. Stink Bugs have been broken away from the more general category of True Bugs because we have gotten so many letters relating to them specifically. According to BugGuide, the Two Spotted Stink Bug, Perillus bioculatus, a predatory species, is a biological control against the Colorado Potato Beetle. Your specimen is undoubtedly the same genus, but there is a noticeable absence of the two spots. It is possibly just a color variation, or possibly a separate species. We will check with Julieta Brambila for a positive identification.