Bronze Shield Bug

Troilus luridus · Order: Hemiptera · Family: Pentatomidae

Also called: Bronze Shieldbug

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Bronze Shield Bug
Photo: Sandy Rae, CC BY

The bronze shield bug is about 1 to 1.2 cm long and lives on trees, though only a few are found in the lower branches. It feeds on plant sap and also hunts live insect larvae such as beetles, moths and sawflies, which it needs for development. Adults survive the winter, emerge in spring, lay eggs in early summer and new adults appear from July onward, depending on temperature and prey availability.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

Adults measure roughly 10 to 12 mm in length.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

They are found on trees. Only a small part of the population lives in the lower branches.

Source: Wikipedia

What it eats

They feed on plant sap and also prey on live insect larvae, especially beetles, lepidoptera and sawflies.

Source: Wikipedia

Life cycle

Adults overwinter and usually become active in April, depending on temperature. Eggs are laid in May to June in batches that start around 21 and shrink to one or two per batch. At about 19 to 20 °C, eggs develop in 10 to 12 days. First-instar nymphs are plant-feeding and live together; there are five nymphal stages. New adults appear from July onward, with timing affected by temperature, humidity and prey availability.

Source: Wikipedia

When you see it

Adults survive the winter and emerge in spring, with new adults visible from July onward.

Source: Wikipedia

Questions people ask

What does the bronze shield bug eat?

It drinks plant sap and also hunts live insect larvae such as beetles, moths and sawflies, which are essential for its development.

Source: Wikipedia

When do bronze shield bugs appear?

Adults emerge from overwintering in April, lay eggs in May to June, and new adults can be seen from July onward, depending on weather and food.

Source: Wikipedia

Same family (Pentatomidae)

Brown Marmorated Stink BugBrown Marmorated Stink BugHalyomorpha halysDamages trees, gardens or cropsGreen Stink BugGreen Stink BugChinavia hilarisDamages trees, gardens or cropsHarlequin BugHarlequin BugMurgantia histrionicaDamages trees, gardens or cropsBrown Stink BugBrown Stink BugEuschistus servusDamages trees, gardens or cropsGreen Shield BugGreen Shield BugPalomena prasinaEuropean Striped Shield BugEuropean Striped Shield BugGraphosoma italicum

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troilus_luridus

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.

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