Rice Stink Bug

Oebalus pugnax · Order: Hemiptera · Family: Pentatomidae

Damages trees, gardens or crops. The rice stink bug damages rice, wheat, sorghum and other cereal crops.

Adult rice stink bugs are about 0.4 to 0.5 inches long and have a narrow, shield-shaped body that is straw-colored with a yellow triangle on the center of the shield. They are native to North America and are common in the southern U.S. rice belt, where they also live on wild grasses such as Johnson grass and barnyard grass. These bugs feed on cereal crops like rice, wheat and sorghum, making them a serious agricultural pest.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

The bug has a narrow, shield-shaped profile typical of stink bugs. Its color is straw-like with sharp points at the shield’s tip and a yellow triangle in the middle.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

Adults measure between 0.375 and 0.50 inches (9.5 to 13 mm) in length.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

It is a major pest of rice fields in Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas.

Source: Wikipedia

What it eats

It attacks cereal crops with small seeds, especially rice, wheat and sorghum. It also feeds on wild grasses like Johnson grass, barnyard grass and sedge.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

The rice stink bug is a flying shield-bug native to North America.

Source: Wikipedia

Lookalikes

The small rice stink bug (Oebalus poecilus) looks similar and is also a destructive rice pest.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 34 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Kentucky, Mississippi, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana.

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Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.

Source: GBIF

Months it is reported in the US

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Rice Stink Bug photo 3 — Photo: Bea Leiderman, CC BY

Rice Stink Bug photo 4 — Photo: Judy Gallagher, CC BY-SA

Rice Stink Bug photo 5 — Photo: Katja Schulz, CC BY

Rice Stink Bug photo 6 — Photo: Andrew Meeds, CC BY

Questions people ask

What crops does the rice stink bug damage?

It feeds on rice, wheat, sorghum and other small-seeded cereals, causing significant crop loss.

Source: Wikipedia

How can I tell a rice stink bug apart from similar bugs?

Look for a narrow, shield-shaped body that is straw-colored with a yellow triangle in the center; the small rice stink bug looks similar but is a different species.

Source: Wikipedia