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Eurydema oleraceum (L.).
Eurydema oleracea (auct.)

Insecta, Homoptera, Pentatomidae .

Cabbage bug

Description, Biology, Life Cycle, Damage, Common Names, Images

[R]Description
- Adult: 5-7 mm long; black head; body black with bluish or greenish metallic sheen; head and pronotum yellow bordered and dorsally with yellowish or reddish spots (*) (*) .
- Egg: small barrel-shape with 2 flattened poles, yellow greenish in colour and operculum uniformly whitish.
- Nymph: black after hatching and during the 1st instar; after each moult the nymphal instars resemble the adult with yellowish or reddish spots becoming more evident.

[R]Biology
- Host plants: cultivated or wild cabbages (Cruciferae) and, less frequent, some gramineous and potato plants.
- Adult: life span of a few months; fecundity 50-80 eggs during 5-7 oviposition periods.
- Egg: incubation period about 15 days.
- Nymph: from the egg hatch to the adult emergence takes 4-5 weeks and includes 4-5 moults.

[R]Life Cycle
- Two generations per year with the the 1st generation of adults in June-July and the second from the end of August to October.
- Adults hibernate on the soil under stones or old leaves and in cracks or crevices in the soil and on trees. Adult activity starts as soon as temperatures rise; they mate and oviposition takes place 2-4 weeks later. Eggs are laid on the underside of cabbage leaves in two rows of 8-12 eggs at each oviposition. These ovipositions can be repeated 5-7 times during the female's life (*) .

[R]Damage
Sucking sap from leaves causes damaged areas to become yellowish. Severe attacks can cause all leaves and pods to turn yellow and may lead to the death of young plants.

[R]Common Names
DE: Kohlwanze, Gemüsewanze ES: Chinche azul de la col FR: Punaise verte du chou, Punaise potagère IT: Cimice verde del cavolo PT: Percevejo das couves GB: Green cabbage bug

[R] Images

  1. Eurydema oleracea L. (Coutin R. / OPIE)
    Adult Under leaf of cabbage.
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  2. Eurydema oleracea L. (Coutin R. / OPIE)
    Adult feeding on cabbage Rostrum inserted in flower.
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  3. Eurydema oleracea L. (Coutin R. / OPIE)
    Egg-laying On the upper side of leaf of cabbage.
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