Insect ID, Is this the Euthyrhynchus floridanus - Florida Predatory Stink Bug.... ? - Ask Extension
The photos I took of them aren't exactly like all of the ones I found when trying to research to ID these, I suspect these may be the Nymphs I have cu...
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Insect ID, Is this the Euthyrhynchus floridanus - Florida Predatory Stink Bug.... ? #871772
Asked June 05, 2024, 4:47 PM EDT
The photos I took of them aren't exactly like all of the ones I found when trying to research to ID these, I suspect these may be the Nymphs I have currently and got photos of , and that the photos I am seeing online are of adults possibly? So I just wanted to verify
they are eating pincherbugs aka earwigs and they seem to work as a team in-tandem, don't like to be viewed since as soon as they notice me trying to take photos, they move themselves w the prey to a more hidden area to try to avoid detection, so apologies that the photos are not that great since they won't stay still/visible long enough for me to get much better shots of them!
I was just about to start trapping earwigs since they have become a plant pest to my gardens but now that I see these guys are eating them, I'd rather let mother nature do it's thing, IF these are in fact what I think their ID is and that they aren't going to be yet another pest to my plants, which they don't/won't seem to be from what I gathered in research so far IF my ID is correct...?!?
Thnx for your help in the matter
Anne Arundel County Maryland
Expert Response
The insects pictured do indeed look like nymphs of the Florida Predatory Stink Bug, which, despite its common name, is also native here in Maryland. You can use the images in the linked gallery page to compare to your sighting(s), since the gallery includes nymphs as well as adults. They are considered beneficial in gardens, so yes, they can be a useful natural control measure for nuisance pests like earwigs.
Miri
Miri
Looks about right , thanks.
This leads me to a couple of follow-up questions...
Can these be used as a possible control for spotted lanternfly, as i see in one photo it's appears to be eating one?
Also it seems they are very generalized predatos so i have concerns if they get out of control, will begin to hunt my beneficials that my gardens are ment to provide a haven for, such as ladybugs, bees n dragonfly which are all critters i have put in new plantings to attract.... So what is a good method to control these if once they run out of earwigs they start to hunt my beneficial friends?
We don't know if this stink bug will prey on Spotted Lanternfly (SLF), but it's possible, since other predatory insects already have. Many predatory insects are generalists (including praying mantids, ground beetles, dragonflies, social wasps, and others), so yes, it's conceivable that they will eat any beneficial insects or pollinators they can catch, as equal-opportunity predators. They will not significantly deplete the population of beneficial insects in doing so, however. We do not recommend using a pesticide to control this stink bug's population, nor should it be needed. (Manual controls would be the same as for SLF or other nuisance pests, like brushing them off into a pan of soapy water.)
Miri
Miri
Thank you so much for the info!
You're welcome!
