Tag Archives: Stink Bugs

Monstera and stink bug

Monstera leaves in Hawaii

I took the top photo for Becky’s Squares, but never got round to posting it. I love the leaves and was pleased to spot a stink bug on one of them. Yes, it’s visible in the photo, but here’s a closer look below.

A stink bug on a leaf in Hawaii

Update: Karen at https://over50travel.blog/ has identified the bug as Coleotichus blackburniae, otherwise known as the Koa bug or the Koa shield bug. It’s a Hawaii endemic and the first I’ve seen.

The Numbers Game #57

The crosswalk leading to Nāhuku (Thurston Lava Tube) in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
The crosswalk leading to Nāhuku (Thurston Lava Tube) in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park during Covid restrictions.

The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 178. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

An Oriental Stink Bug in Hawaii
An Oriental Stink Bug.
An Indian Blue Peacock at Panaʻewa Rainforest Zoo in Hilo, Hawaii
An Indian Blue Peacock at Panaʻewa Rainforest Zoo in Hilo, Hawaii
Cattle keeping an eye on passers-by below Hawi Wind Farm.
Osmoxylon lineare.
Japanese Aloe.
Dead fish among rocks at Kiholo, Hawaii
Dead fish on shore at the head of the lagoon in Kiholo Bay.

Also posted for Becky’s Squares: Geometric. See more responses here.

The Numbers Game #54

A view of the 10th hole at Hapuna golf course in Hawaii
A view of the 10th hole at Hapuna Golf Course.

The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 175. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

Vegetation has reclaimed a section of the original 1969 fissure of the Mauna Ulu eruption of 1969.
Tenacious plants grow in a lava flow.
A cigarfish and pinktail triggerfish add color to a shoal of surgeonfish.
A Cigar Wrasse in a school of Whitebar Surgeonfishes.
A view of Kohala Mountain from the trail up Pu’u WaaWaa.
Wiliwili tree flowers in Hawaii
A bee on a Wiliwili flower.
A four-humped stink bug (Brochymena quadripustulata) in Hawaii
A Four-humped Stink Bug.
A sign for the Banana Leaf Coffee & Tea shop in Hawi, Hawaii
The sign for the Banana Leaf Cafe in Hawi. It never opened!

The Numbers Game #8

A cattle egret stands on a sleeping cow in Hawaii
A Cattle Egret stands on a resting cow. No, it’s not dead!

The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 129. You can see more responses here.

A Mourning Gecko on a Bird of Pardise flower.
A gold dust day gecko licks moisture off a bird of paradise flower in Hawaii
A Gold Dust Day Gecko on a Bird of Pardise flower.
A black stink bug next to a black strap on a red shirt.
This stink bug landed on my shirt as I was trying to photograph it.
A dive boat anchored off the Kona Coast in Hawaii
A dive boat off the Kona Coast.
A pair of zebra doves resting on a branch
Two Zebra Doves enjoy the late afternoon sun.
A drop of water on a passion vine leaf in Hawaii
A drop of water on a Passion Vine leaf.
Sunset over Kohala
Sunset from the lanai.

Southern Green Stink Bug nymph

A Southern Green Stink Bug nymph in Hawaii
A Southern Green Stink Bug nymph in Hawaii

I saw this Southern Green Stink Bug nymph (Nezara viridula) climbing up a door and, since it was something I hadn’t seen before, I was keen to get a photo. With its distinctive markings, it was fairly easy to identify.

The bugs were first seen in Hawaii in 1961 and are considered something of pest.

Stink bug

A four-humped stink bug (Brochymena quadripustulata) in Hawaii
A four-humped stink bug (Brochymena quadripustulata) in Hawaii
A four-humped stink bug (Brochymena quadripustulata) in Hawaii

Recently, I posted (here) about a wasp I saw clambering through the grass. The reason I noticed the wasp was because I was down on my hands and knees taking photos of this creature. I think this is a Four-humped Stink Bug (Brochymena quadripustulata).

Like the wasp, the stink bug was going up and down blades of grass, though less frenetically than the wasp. After a while, it tired of my attentions and took off, flying directly towards my nose, a hard-to-miss target. I ducked out of the way and it whizzed by and disappeared.

Stink bug

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Signs of Autumn.’ (See more responses here.) So here two photos of a stink bug. I think this is probably a four-humped stink bug or rough stink bug (Brochymena quadripustulata), but it could be a brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys).

What does this have to do with ‘Signs of Autumn?’ Well, stink bugs start gathering around and inside homes in the fall. As natives of Southeast Asia, they’re sensitive to the cold and spend winter in a hibernation-like state called torpor. So in the fall, they’re looking for a suitable safe spot and a warm house fits that bill. They also have a tendency to gather in large numbers, so one stink bug could quickly be joined by many others.

Stink bugs don’t bite and they’re not dangerous, but they can release an offensive smelling liquid if threatened, hence their name. Because of this, they’re not exactly welcome house guests.