St. Andrew's Cotton Stainer

Dysdercus andreae · Order: Hemiptera · Family: Pyrrhocoridae

Also called: White Marked Cotton Stainer Bug

Damages trees, gardens or crops. It damages cotton crops in the Caribbean and nearby islands.

St. Andrew's Cotton Stainer — Photo: iNaturalist user, CC0

Adults are bright red-orange with black heads, legs and wings, and each abdominal segment shows a yellow-white band that forms a diagonal cross resembling Saint Andrew’s Cross. Females reach 8.6 to 13.6 mm and males 7 to 13 mm in length.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

The body is red-orange except for a black or dark brown head, legs and wings. Each abdominal segment has a yellow-white band that creates a diagonal cross pattern.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

Females grow to about 8.6 to 13.6 mm long, while males are about 7 to 13 mm.

Source: Wikipedia

How to get rid of it

Populations can be reduced by destroying old cotton residues and using traps baited with cotton seeds, checking them daily.
Adults can also be brushed or picked off cotton plants and placed into a bucket of water or kerosene.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

It occurs on Caribbean islands and in North America.

Source: Wikipedia

What it eats

It feeds on the seeds and fruits of Thespesia populnea (Pacific rosewoods).

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Its native range includes Caribbean islands and North America.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 1 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Florida.

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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

St. Andrew's Cotton Stainer photo 2 — Photo: Dennis Vollmar, CC BY

St. Andrew's Cotton Stainer photo 3 — Photo: Josiah Londerée, CC BY

St. Andrew's Cotton Stainer photo 4 — Photo: Reanne ("Bean") Dunn, CC BY

St. Andrew's Cotton Stainer photo 5 — Photo: iNaturalist user, CC0

Questions people ask

How can I identify St. Andrew's cotton stainer?

Look for a bright red-orange body with black head, legs and wings, and a diagonal white-yellow cross on each abdominal segment.

Source: Wikipedia

Is this bug a problem for my cotton garden?

Yes, it feeds on cotton seeds and fruits and is reported as a pest in the Caribbean and nearby islands.

Source: Wikipedia

What are effective ways to control it?

Remove old cotton plant debris and set up cotton-seed baited traps, checking them each day; you can also brush the insects off plants into water or kerosene.

Source: Wikipedia