Bug FAQJapanese common plataspid stinkbug
Megacopta punctatissima · Order: Hemiptera · Family: Plataspidae
Also called: Japanese common stinkbug
Source: Wikipedia
The Japanese common stinkbug feeds on soybean stems, lowering yields, and gathers in large numbers inside homes during autumn, becoming a major nuisance for residents. When handled it can spray a liquid that burns the skin, causes red welts, and may irritate the skin.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
It often enters houses despite being harmless to people and houseplants. It is drawn to white surfaces like walls and vehicles because its simple eyes see the high reflectance.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
It is a major nuisance pest for people living in affected areas.
Source: Wikipedia
Does it bite or sting?
When it sprays its defensive liquid it can cause a burning sensation, red welts, and occasional skin irritation.
Source: Wikipedia
How to get rid of it
Researchers are studying ways to control the bug by providing a defective symbiont that the insects rely on. Universities and companies in the southeastern U.S. are exploring alternative control methods.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
The bug frequently comes indoors and seeks shelter in houses and other structures. In autumn it gathers in huge numbers inside buildings.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
It sucks juice from soybean stems, which reduces crop yields.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Before laying eggs, females deposit particles that contain a symbiotic bacterium, which the newly hatched nymphs eat. Nymphs that cannot access the symbiont grow more slowly, stay smaller, and die more often.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
The insects gather in large numbers inside homes during autumn. If disturbed they release an unpleasant odor.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The U.S. population of this bug likely originated from a Kyushu, Japan population of Megacopta punctatissima.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Japanese populations called Megacopta punctatissima are the same as the bug known in the U.S. as Megacopta cribraria.
Source: Wikipedia
Questions people ask
How does this bug damage crops?
It feeds on the sap of soybean stems, which lowers the plants' yields.
Source: Wikipedia
Why do they gather inside houses in autumn?
They seek shelter and form large groups inside structures during the cooler autumn months.
Source: Wikipedia
Do they bite or sting people?
When handled they can spray a liquid that burns the skin, causes red welts, and may irritate the skin.
Source: Wikipedia
How can I control these stinkbugs?
Scientists are testing methods that disrupt the bug’s essential symbiotic bacteria and other alternative control strategies.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Plataspidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megacopta_cribraria
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 2026-10-23.