newly hatched beetles (?) on rose bush
Location: Herndon, Virginia
June 15, 2011 7:09 pm
I was dead-heading one of my rose bushes & tossing the cut stems on the ground when I looked down & noticed this bunch of eggs in the process of hatching into orangish colored beetles on the underside of one of the leaves. They don’t look loke anything I’ve found in any ”beetle egg ID” type sites, & I’ve never seen them before. (I figured if these were on my roses, they were probably up to no good, so after I took these photos the branch got put out in the street for the birds to play with) Thanks!
Signature: Lois in Virginia

Hatchlings of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

Hi Lois,
You were luckless in your identification attempt because these are Stink Bug hatchlings, not beetles.  We are happy we took the time to properly identify the species, which is often difficult with hatchlings, because these are newly hatched Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs, Halyomorpha halys.  We found a nearly identical photo on BugGuide.  You may be familiar with the adults that often seek shelter indoors with the approaching cold weather.  They are quite common in Maryland, probably the site of the original introduction of this exotic invasive species.  We have a special page on our site to alert our readership about invasive exotic species.  You may find additional information on BugGuide including:  “Elliptical eggs are laid in clusters, often on the underside of leaves. Five instars (nymphal stages) take about a week each; the nymphs typically being brightly colored with red and black.  In PA, the BMSB has only one generation a year, like in the northern part of its native range. However, in southern China up to five generations occur each year, and the same pattern can be expected as the bug spreads south (Hoebeke & Carter 2003, Hoffmann 1931). The adults mate in the spring about two weeks after emerging from diapause or the resting phase. The females soon begin laying egg masses (at ~ weekly intervals); a female lays about 400 eggs in her lifetime. In PA, the egg-laying was observed from June to September, so different instars can be present on the same plant. Eggs hatch after 4-5 days. Nymphs are solitary feeders, but occasionally aggregate between overlapping leaves or leaf folds (Bernon 2004). Adults are sexually mature two weeks after the final molt (Hoebeke & Carter 2003).”  The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug has already gotten a strong foothold on the east and west coasts, and we can expect it to soon spread to other parts of North America.  You should dispatch these hatchlings without mercy, though that one instance on insecticide will hardly curb the spread of this noxious invasive pest.  We are also including a photo of the adult Brown Marmorated Stink Bug with this posting.  The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug  was selected as our Bug of the Month for October 2010 and it was a very popular posting.

Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs