[gypsy]

It is the first time I have come across this bug. I believe it has only recently arrived in northern England.
 Yesterday I found one on my sweetcorn and today I found another one on the raspberries.
 What should I do about it? Question

 

[Aunt Sally]

The common green shieldbug is native to Britain.  It's the Southern one which has just arived, which do you think you have found ?

The RHS have a page about it.

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=519

[Salmo]

They get their name because if annoyed they let out a stink. Hold one in your hands and you will find out.

I get them in numbers in my raspberries. First as tiny brown chaps gradually progressing through several instars until the final green adults.

I think they feed on sap and they do nibble at fruit when it is dry. No real problem but they do sometimes drop into the bag when you are picking and getting them out is fun.

[gypsy]

Thanks for your very useful replies.
It looks like I have the southern one with no black on it.

[Aunt Sally]

It may well bethe southern one then

If you look at the map thet is one square in Lancashire.

https://data.nbn.org.uk/Taxa/NHMSYS0020309518/Grid_Map

I would follow the RHS advice.

[gypsy]

Uh ooooh, it looks like I have both, some are plain green and some have black spots, I have been squishing them today. They are very docile and do not fly or run away when I touch them.

[Dr_Pepper]

Are you able to post any pictures?

The juveniles of the species are pretty difficult to tell apart so the best identification marks are actually the five white dots across the back of the adult Southern Green Stink Bug.

I only know of one incident where this insect has become a real problem and that was in a commercial pepper crop in SE England.

It's a shame to go squishing wildlife if it hasn't actually caused any real damage and/or hasn't definitely been identified as a serious threat.

[Aunt Sally]

I would agree with that Dr Pepper !

[surbie100]

I had a bad infestation of them on my borlottis and runners last year. They arrived much earlier last year than this. The vines were badly affected - feeble growth and not that many pods. The leaves had hundreds of young on them. I put in a report with photos to the invasive species record count website.

Personally I squish them if I think that my beans are at a stage where an infestation is going to affect them. If it's late in the season I probably wouldn't.

[GreyScales]

These little guys were hanging around my potatoes for the most part.

[gypsy]

Sorry no I cannot post pics.
I squished them as they were all over my raspberries and the plants have gone yellow. I do not think that there is any other reason for the plants to be yellow. They are so laid back that I could have picked them up and put them in a jar and released them else where but that would mean a problem for someone else.

[mumofstig]

Wet or windy weather or cold nights would cause yellow leaves (autumn is upon us) not the shield bugs.

I've had some on my rasps this year, but not noticed any damage at all - so I just leave them alone.