Bug FAQSpined Stilt Bug
Jalysus wickhami · Order: Hemiptera · Family: Berytidae
Source: Wikipedia
The spined stilt bug (Jalysus wickhami) lives in gardens and meadows from summer through autumn. It is native to Central and North America and feeds on plant juices from legumes, grasses and tomato plants, sometimes making tomatoes drop.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Jalysus wickhami is known as the spined stilt bug.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
Feeding can cause unripe tomatoes to drop, damaging garden produce.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is found in gardens and meadow habitats during the warm months.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
It drinks plant juices from legumes, grasses and tomato plants.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are active from summer through autumn.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range includes Central America and North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 40 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Kentucky, New Mexico, California, Texas, Mississippi, Illinois, Kansas, Connecticut.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
How does the spined stilt bug affect my garden?
Its feeding can make unripe tomatoes drop, harming your garden crops.
Source: Wikipedia
When are spined stilt bugs most likely to appear?
They are most common from summer to autumn.
Source: Wikipedia
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jalysus_wickhami
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.