Talkback: Shieldbugs - Talkback - gardenersworld.com

04/03/2009 at 21:28

i was watching a documentary the other day about these beautiful native bugs but isnt there a foreign type that climatising in england and inter mating with the native and im sure the foreign one isnt to friendly to plants.

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05/03/2009 at 16:46

yes I read about that too. I think it's brown in colour.

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05/03/2009 at 18:44

I too have no problem with shield bugs,I think they are really interesting,it's vine weevils I HATE.Death to them all.

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05/03/2009 at 20:27

Reply to Michael and Robin. The southern green shieldbug, Nezara viridula, arrived in Britain a few years ago and is obviously well established in the London area. It is similar to Palomena, but the nymphs are beautifully marked with red and white spots. There are some nice pictures here: http://www.britishbugs.org.uk/heteroptera/Pentatomidae/nezara_viridula.html which, incidentally is a very good website for looking up garden bugs. This is a totally different bug species from Palomena so will not interbreed, and will probably not even compete. It too sucks sap from a wide variety of plants (wild and cultivated). There is a possibility that if it spreads widely it might become more of a nuisance than Palomena because it has left its predators and parasitoids behind in southern Europe so populations here increase unchecked. But like all things in the garden, it is not a pest unless it reaches pest proportions.

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05/03/2009 at 20:36

thank you very much richard for setting me straight

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05/03/2009 at 20:54

just used that link so there native to africa and often come over in food produce but there travelling north because of climate change well i would think they are becoming pest because im from the midlands and found at least 6 in my garden last summer i just moved them along ,so shoundnt we be treating them like pest now before they overwelm our gardens ,using africanised bees as a comparison shouldnt we try and repel them or exterminate before we get a more aggressive pest in this country

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06/03/2009 at 05:41

That actually is the truth in this country we allow every thing to get out of hand like the grey squirrel and the Lily beetle and the vine weevel and countless other things, then we look in horror at the devistation.

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06/03/2009 at 07:15

You might think that they are cute, but don't get bitten by one ! I know 2 people who have been bitten in France by shield bugs and have had really nasty reactions. My Mum still has a scar on her arm from her encounter. My advice: admire from a distance....

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06/03/2009 at 08:10

I love these clumsy bugs, first came across them in Spain at a very young age - each one was known as 'Fred', don't ask me why! If it is the same bug, the spanish version is quite a bright green colour.

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06/03/2009 at 08:16

I see many shield bugs in my garden over the course of the summer, I can honestly say that I have never had any trouble with them, they are fascinating little creatures, to many gardeners are prooccupied with finding something to kill. A few natural slug traps is all I ever use I let nature take care of anything else.

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06/03/2009 at 09:50

I absolutely love the Palomena, they fascinate me.They make me think of space ships because of their shape?! I only saw them for the first time a few years ago. I haven't noticed the smell however so next time I see one...

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06/03/2009 at 11:52

I lived in Italy for a number of years and dreaded having to get the washing in after it had blown dry in the hot sun, as it was invariably full of these creatures, which are called "puzzola" which means skunk. The word "puzza" means stench or stink! This is due to the pungent smell they emit when being squashed. Also, if they are brought indoors, they loudly buzz around, making clicking noisies as they barge into windows. I agree they are pretty to look at, though.

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06/03/2009 at 14:17

It's the lily bug that I have problems with, I grow Stargazer lillies in my garden and a couple of others but last summer suddenly out of nowhere came the dreaded red beetle munching on the leaves!! How do I keep them away please?

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07/03/2009 at 09:58

THESE BUGS ARE A REAL PEST,THEY EAT A LOT OF THE SHRUBS,IN MY GARDEN BETTALL.

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07/03/2009 at 12:11

i was watching gardeners world the night before last on uktv gardens i actually caught monty don at the end of the show saying if you find any of these bugs destroy them and thats good enough advise for me, on the same kind of note what does everyone think about the different color lady bird not the native 2 spotted red n black one well i think thats the native one not these black n yellow ones and opposite black with red spots

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07/03/2009 at 17:12

Hold hard on the Ladybirds! There are lots of different native ones, 7 spot red & black, 16 spot yellow & black & yes, the black with red spots to name but a few. I hate the lily bugs, too. They also go for fritilarias early in the year. Watch out for "droppings" on the leaves - these are the larvae which cover themselves in their own excrement! Pick them off & squash them!!

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07/03/2009 at 20:09

isnt there a lady bird thats not a native that eats other ladybirds , i love the lady bird it keeps the aphids off my roses but dont like the cannibal one

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09/03/2009 at 22:31

I hate the sheild bug, I have been bitten twice which left me with a lump that itched for weeks. Also saw one on the new shoots of a rose bush 2 days later the new shoots had wilted,on inspection each stem looked like it had had its sap sucked. So I for one will be squashing them.

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10/03/2009 at 08:22

Reply to Michael The harlequin ladybird, Harmonia axiridis, is a recent arrival in the UK. A native of Asia, it is large and voracious and is known to out-compete and even eat other ladybirds, but it's precise effect in the UK has not yet been determined. Have a look at a previous entry to this blog: http://blog.gardenersworld.com/2008/02/06/rj-harlequin-ladybird-06022008/

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10/03/2009 at 08:28

Reply to Debbie. Sorry to hear of your bug bite. This is very unusual for a plant-feeder. It does not indicate a noxious pest though. In 1976 (I remember it well), huge numbers of ladybirds took to the air in search of prey. They have a habit of biting whatever leaf they land on to detect whether it is the sort of host that aphids might be eating, and also, perhaps to detect alarm chemicals released by a plant under aphid attack. When they landed on human skin, they would bite too and there were endless reports of vicious attack ladybirds in the press. Ladybirds have sharp biting mouthparts and can give quite a surprising nip.