Subject: It’s cute and it flies
Location: San Antonio, TX
July 16, 2013 1:33 pm
Dear Bugman,
I think this little critter is new to our garden. They started out living on my broccoli earlier this year. When it was time to remove those plants, they moved to the radish patch that was in front of the broccoli. They don’t seem to be disturbing the plants but they do like to fly around and crawl on me and my 3 year old son. He loves it and thinks of them as his bug friends. So, I want to make sure we are safe around them. Future thanks for any information you might be able to provide!
Signature: Katie
Dear Katie,
These Harlequin Stink Bugs, Murgantia histrionica, will not harm your son, however, they are a plant feeding species and they are not healthy for plants in the cabbage family, including broccoli.