Bug FAQSouthern Green Stink Bug
Nezara viridula · Order: Hemiptera · Family: Pentatomidae
Also called: Common Green Vegetable Bug, Green vegetable bug, Southern Green Shield Bug, green stink bug
The southern green stink bug is a bright-green, shield-shaped insect about 12 mm long in males and 13 mm in females, with reddish or black eyes and three white spots on the scutellum. It lives worldwide in tropical and subtropical areas, feeds on many plant families, especially fruiting legumes, and reproduces year-round in warm regions.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Males reach about 12.1 mm in length, while females grow to about 13.1 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
It feeds on plants from more than 30 families, both monocots and dicots, with a strong preference for fruiting legumes.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Nymphs stay near the empty eggs, do not feed for three days, then molt five times, each stage lasting about a week except the last, which is a week longer.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
In tropical areas it reproduces throughout the year; in temperate zones it enters a winter diapause and changes colour from green to brown or russet.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It likely originated in the Ethiopia region of East Africa and spread worldwide via strong flight and human trade.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It can be told apart from the green stink bug (Chinavia hilaris) by its short, wide scent-gland openings, whereas the other species has narrow, long openings.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 31 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, North Carolina, Florida, Texas, Hawaii, Washington, Louisiana, Georgia.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: introduced in North America. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Same family (Pentatomidae)
Brown Marmorated Stink BugHalyomorpha halysDamages trees, gardens or crops
Green Stink BugChinavia hilarisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Harlequin BugMurgantia histrionicaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Brown Stink BugEuschistus servusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Green Shield BugPalomena prasina
European Striped Shield BugGraphosoma italicumSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nezara_viridula
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.