Green Vegetable Bug
Nezara viridula
A shield-shaped green stink bug that sucks sap from pods, beans and tomatoes, leaving hard white spots and deformed fruit.
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Identify from a photoBackground
Green vegetable bug (GVB) is an introduced pest that has spread throughout coastal and inland Australia. Both adults and nymphs feed by piercing plant tissue and sucking sap. On tomatoes, feeding causes yellow or white cloudy patches just under the skin and rough corky tissue. On beans, GVB feeding shrivels developing seeds inside the pod and causes pods to abort.
When disturbed, the bug releases a pungent defensive odour. Hence the common name stink bug. Populations rise through summer and peak in late summer / early autumn.
How to identify
- Adult: shield-shaped, bright green, 13-15mm long
- Nymphs: smaller, black when newly hatched, later turning green and red with white spots before reaching adult colouration
- Eggs: laid in neat hexagonal rafts of 50-100 on leaf undersides, barrel-shaped, pale yellow-green
- Damage: pale or white cloudy patches under skin of tomatoes; deformed or aborted bean pods; shrivelled seeds
Life cycle
Eggs hatch in 5-7 days in warm weather. Nymphs pass through five instars over 4-6 weeks before becoming adults. Overwinters as adults in sheltered sites, emerging with spring warmth.
Weather triggers
- Temperature: 15-35°C
- Activity peaks 22-30C. Populations crash after prolonged cold snaps below 5C.
Peak season (southern hemisphere)
Red = active season · Dark red outlined = this month
Affected vegetables & crops
Click any crop to see current prices and growing info.
Climate zones at risk
Organic & low-impact control
- Handpicking adults and nymphs into soapy water early morning when they're sluggish
- Crushing egg rafts on leaf undersides
- Soap-based sprays or pyrethrum on young nymphs (adults are tolerant)
- Maintain healthy parasitoid populations. The parasitic wasp Trissolcus basalis attacks GVB eggs
Chemical control
- For severe infestations: pyrethrum or natural pyrethrins; avoid broad-spectrum synthetic pyrethroids in home gardens to protect beneficial insects
Always read product labels. Registrations change.
Prevention
- Clear weeds and overgrown vegetation where bugs overwinter
- Inspect crops weekly from late spring
- Avoid planting long runs of a single favoured host (beans, tomatoes) without interplanting
Companion planting
Open flowering plants (dill, coriander, buckwheat, alyssum) attract the parasitic wasps that control GVB eggs.
Biosecurity
Widespread across Australia. No quarantine restrictions.
Know when Green Vegetable Bug is actually about
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Live pest pressure, for your postcode
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