Foe!!!

Black Sting Bugs, or Proxys punctulatus, can be a common sight in Florida gardens. They have a very large home range from the Carolinas down to Central America and South America. Adults can be destructive to plants making them a gardening foe. I commonly find them in my own garden on flowering plants that are also popular among other pollinators. This begs the question .... Can they help pollinate plants? After a deep dive into the internet, I couldn't come up with any sources that provided any answer. So, my assumption for now is… NO. Maybe one of my readers can prove otherwise.

There is some observation that Stink Bugs can also prey on other insects, especially larvae. But literature suggests that some species of Stink Bugs are more predaceous than others. Black Sting Bugs are observed to be predominately feeders of plant material with few observations of preying on other insects. They focus their feeding on leaves and flowers. So again, we draw the conclusion that Black Sting Bugs are a gardening foe.

Black Sting Bugs can be identified by their black bodies and white / yellow dot on the back. Their legs are generally black and cream with each color broken up randomly into segments. Their head comes out into a point similar to Assassin Bugs and Leaffooted Bugs. The back is shaped like a shield with the shoulders coming out wide and terminating into a point.

Eggs are typically laid as individuals. This is a characteristic that seems to be unique to the Black Sting Bug as other Stink Bugs lay their eggs in clusters. There are 5 stages of instars. I can't say that I have ever observed nymphs in my own garden, and I almost always only see the adult form.

As you may guess, the common name "Stink Bug" comes from the odor that is released as a defense mechanism. Beware, the odor is also released if the bug is squished. Don't go squishing these bugs between your fingers.

Host plants include cotton, soybean, and citrus. I find them all over my Sweet Almond Bush. When in bloom, I see several on each bloom. Here they feed and have intercourse. The University of Florida's Entomology and Nematology website says that they can remain in "copulation for an estimated 1.5 to 4 hours". I don't know why I felt the need to include that. There's your fun fact for the day.

Not only do Black Sting Bugs hurt plants by feeding on feeding on plants, but the process in which they do so has secondary effects as well. Using their straw-like mouth, they suck out plants juices by stabbing into the plant with the straw. This leaves an opening to introductions of disease that can further hurt the plant. While all this sounds bad, I have never lost plants to Black Sting Bugs. It seems that they never arrive in such numbers that damage is significant enough to equal plant loss. The University of Florida's website states that their population never seems to get high enough to cause any real destructive damage warranting control.

There are some natural predators of Black Sting Bugs that will do most of the control for you. The number of predators is higher for nymphs and eggs. I think this is mostly due to the absence of the pungent smell defense mechanism during those stages. Obviously, insect eggs are easy prey for most predators. Predatory wasps and other insects will feed on eggs. As adults, the number of predators drastically drops. Birds and lizards are probably the most common of them.

While the risk of total plant loss is low, I do not recommend any pesticidal control of stink bugs. I strongly believe in promotion of your gardens’ natural ecosystem and allowing a natural food chain to be established. Once it is, you will have free pest control that does not require any intervention on the gardener's part. If removal is absolutely desired, we suggest bumping these bugs off into a cup of soapy water.

Do you have any experience with Black Stink Bugs? Keep the conversation by commenting below. Give us your opinions, insights, or tips and tricks!