Pest profile

Bagrada Bug

Bagrada hilaris · Hemiptera: Pentatomidae[2]

The Bagrada bug is an invasive stink bug that can wipe out young cabbage, broccoli, kale and other mustard-family seedlings, and populations build fast.[1]

Bagrada bug seen from above, a small black shield-shaped stink bug with orange and white markings
Bagrada bug seen from above, a small black shield-shaped stink bug with orange and white markings. Photo: Sinaloa Silvestre, public domain (CC0), via iNaturalist

How to identify it

  • Adults are black with orange and white markings, shield shaped and about 1/4 inch long.[1]
  • Eggs are barrel shaped, white turning orange or red, laid singly or in small clusters, often in soil.[1]
  • Newly molted nymphs are orange-red, then darken; older nymphs show white spots on the abdomen.[1]

Look-alikes

Look-alikeHow to tell them apart
Harlequin bugThe harlequin bug looks similar, but the Bagrada bug is only one-third to one-fifth its size.[1]
Lady beetlesBright nymphs can be mistaken for lady beetles but lack their shiny hard wing covers.[1]

Where it lives

Native to Africa, it was first found in the U.S. in Los Angeles County in 2008 and has spread through much of California and to Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and Texas.[1]

US map: public records from 6 states since 1990 (GBIF).

Biology and life cycle

A female can lay up to 150 eggs in two to three weeks, and eggs can hatch in four days.[1]

Southern California has multiple generations a year, peaking late summer and fall; bugs hide in litter or soil in cold weather.[1]

Mustard-family plants are its main hosts, including wild mustards, alyssum, stock and candytuft.[1]

Damage and signs

  • Feeding leaves light-green starburst lesions, then stippled, scorched leaves, stunting and forked or blind heads.[1]
  • It's especially damaging to small plants and can kill seedlings.[1]

Health risk

It feeds on plants; UC IPM describes no risk to people.[1]

Control

Prevention

Inspect new plants and containers right after watering, when hiding bugs are flushed out.[1]

Keep them out

Cover plants with fine mesh or row cover raised off the leaves, edges buried, before the bugs arrive.[1]

Sanitation

Remove mustard-family weeds and crop residue; where bugs are dense, replace sweet alyssum with non-mustard plants.[1]

Traps and physical control

Shake plants over a sheet and collect or vacuum the bugs; hand-picking works only when numbers are low.[1]

Common questions

What are the starburst marks on my kale leaves?
Light-green starburst lesions are an early sign of Bagrada bug feeding.[1]
Will row covers stop Bagrada bugs?
Yes, if the mesh is fine, raised off the plants and buried at the edges before bugs arrive.[1]

Sources

  1. University of California Statewide IPM Program, “Pest Notes: Bagrada Bug (Publication 74166).” ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74166.html (accessed 2026-10-06)
  2. iNaturalist, “Bagrada hilaris taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/152131 (accessed 2026-10-06)

Updated 2026-10-14. Built from sourced records. Spot an error? Tell us.