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IPM Scouting in Stone Fruits

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Tarnished plant bug - Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois)
IPM scouting in stone fruits > tarnished plant bug
Tarnished plant bug (TPB) can be a pest of peach and nectarine throughout the growing season. Overwintering adults become active in spring as fruit buds begin to swell and are most active at bloom in peach. Damaged buds exude a gummy liquid and shrivel up.

First brood nymphs are present from late April through mid-June. First generation adults begin to appear in the orchard in late May. Three to five generations per year occur in Michigan. Adults readily move into the tree canopy following mowing or similar activities that disturb feeding sites. In response to reductions in suitable weedy hosts, later generations may move to fruit throughout the season. Reduce TPB pressure by eliminating broadleaf weeds from the groundcover.
Tarnished plant bug
TPB nymphs
Monitoring: Start scouting for TPB early in spring by examing fruit flower buds for signs of injury. Continued visual monitoring of fruit in peaches and nectarines from petal fall to shuck fall is critical for TPB management. Beating trays can be used to sample for adults and nymphs. Trapping with white sticky boards gives inconsistent results and is not recommended.
Damaged fruit Feeding by adults on young fruit results in “catfacing” damage – corky, depressed areas with small amounts of dried gum in the center. Late season feeding can create numerous scars on the same fruit coupled with oozing gum. It is not always associated with callused, deformed fruit.
Tarnished plant bug The TPB is a flattened, oval bug about 5mm long, with color varying from green to brown, with yellow, brown, or red markings. Wings are folded flat over the body and have a distinct yellowish triangle on the upper surface.
Additional information
This information was developed from A Pocket Guide for IPM Scouting in Stone Fruits by David Epstein, Larry J. Gut, Alan L. Jones and Kimberly Maxson-Stein. Purchase this in a pocket-sized guide for reference in the orchard from MSU Extension (publication E-2840).
The MSU IPM Program maintains this site as an access point to pest management information at MSU. The IPM Program is administered within the Department of Entomology, fueled by research from the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, delivered to citizens through MSU Extension, and proud to be a part of Project GREEEN.
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Updated 7/24/07