Pine Seed Bugs

Seed bugs are sucking insects that feed upon the developing pine cones. Unlike the boring larvae of the more typical cone and seed insects, seed bugs move freely from one cone cluster to another, puncturing through the cone scales with needlelike mouthparts to extract nutrients from individual seeds. Immature bugs are highly mobile within the tree crown, and adult bugs are strong flyers capable of moving throughout the orchard. Early stages are gregarious, and their concentrated feeding may kill conelets or cones. Later stages become solitary feeders. Two species, the leaffooted pine seed bug, Leptoglossus corculus (Say), and the shieldbacked pine seed bug, Tetyra bipunctata (H.-S.), commonly occur in seed orchards.

Leaffooted pine seed bug, Leptoglossus corculus (Say) (12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 37, 46)

BIOLOGY. - The leaffooted pine seed bug overwinters as an adult. Eggs are laid end to end in neat rows on pine needles. Second-stage nymphs feed on conelets, while older nymphs and adults destroy seed in cones. Nymphs are present from April through October, and adults can be found feeding in the spring, summer, and fall. Several generations are produced each year.

INSECT IDENTIFICATION. - Adults are large, very conspicuous bugs about 2 cm long. The most distinctive characteristic of both late-instar nymphs and adults is the leaflike expansion of the hind legs. Adults are brown with a white zigzag marking across the back. The barrel-shaped eggs are cream colored when laid, turning dark reddish-brown.

Adult feeding on loblolly pine cone. (2X)

Egg masses on shortleaf pine needles; first-stage nymph on needle at lower left. (2X)