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Harlequin bugs are no laughing matter

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED SEP 9, 2018

These harlequin bugs are on an Asian pear at the Fremont Community Garden in midtown Sacramento. These are mostly nymphs, An adult is next to the stem. (Photo: Debbie Arrington)

This stink bug cousin loves mustard, cabbage, kale and fruit

These harlequins aren’t funny. In fact, they’re real stinkers.

This month, they’ve invaded Sacramento gardens with a vengeance. They’re looking for cozy spots to spend the winter. In the meantime, they’ll chow down.

With their distinctive and colorful markings, harlequin bugs are easy (and alarming) to spot. The young ones tend to hang out in clusters or large groups.

It’s those spots that give harlequins their nickname. A member of the stink bug family, Murgantia histrionica are shiny black with orange, yellow or red markings. Adults are about 3/8 inch long.

The nymphs, or immature bugs, are particularly colorful. They look almost like mutated lady bugs, but in reverse, with red or orange dots on a black background. The nymphs go through several stages, molting four or five times before reaching their adult size and coloring. While young, they can’t fly.

Meanwhile, they eat. Like other stink bugs, they plunge their feeding tubes into fruit or vegetables, and suck out the juices. Besides deforming the fruit, the enzymes they leave behind makes it inedible. They also feed on leafy greens, causing white blotches where they ate. Heavy infestations will kill plants.

This time of year, they’re hunting for nesting areas. Harlequins love cabbages, mustard and kale. They prefer to lay their eggs on cole crops such as those members of the cabbage family. If they can find an old cabbage or mustard plant to hang out in all winter, they’re in harlequin heaven.

Also like other stink bugs, harlequins seem immune to most pesticides. The best control is hand-picking the nymphs off plants and squishing them (with gloves – they do stink). Or knock them into a bucket with soapy water; they can’t swim.

UC Cooperative Extension master gardeners also recommend destroying old cabbages, mustards and other potential host plants so the harlequins don’t have a place to hang out. Also clean up weedy spots near fruit trees or garden areas. Those weeds may shelter harlequins.

For more information: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/VEGES/PESTS/harlequinbug.html

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Keywords:

UCCE master gardeners cole crops gardening Sacramento pests stink bugs pesticides harlequin bugs

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Garden Checklist for week of May 19

Temperatures will be a bit higher than normal in the afternoons this week. Take care of chores early in the day – then enjoy the afternoon. It’s time to smell the roses.

* Plant, plant, plant! It’s prime planting season in the Sacramento area. If you haven’t already, it’s time to set out those tomato transplants along with peppers and eggplants. Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.

* Direct-seed melons, cucumbers, summer squash, corn, radishes, pumpkins and annual herbs such as basil.

* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions.

* In the flower garden, direct-seed sunflowers, cosmos, salvia, zinnias, marigolds, celosia and asters.

* Plant dahlia tubers. Other perennials to set out include verbena, coreopsis, coneflower and astilbe.

* Transplant petunias, marigolds and perennial flowers such as astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia and verbena.

* Keep an eye out for slugs, snails, earwigs and aphids that want to dine on tender new growth.

* Feed summer bloomers with a balanced fertilizer.

* For continued bloom, cut off spent flowers on roses as well as other flowering plants.

* Don’t forget to water. Seedlings need moisture. Deep watering will help build strong roots and healthy plants.

* Add mulch to the garden to help keep that precious water from evaporating. Mulch also cuts down on weeds. But don’t let it mound around the stems or trunks of trees or shrubs. Leave about a 6-inch to 1-foot circle to avoid crown rot or other problems.

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