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Hibiscus Scentless Plant Bug

Niesthrea louisianica[3]

The hibiscus scentless plant bug is a small, colorful native bug that feeds on the buds and seeds of rose of Sharon, hibiscus and other mallows.[1][2]

Group
Insect
Order
Hemiptera
Family
Rhopalidae
US records
29 states
Sources
3 cited
Updated
2026-10-16
Hibiscus scentless plant bug on an opened rose of Sharon seed pod
Hibiscus scentless plant bug on an opened rose of Sharon seed pod. (c) Derrick Wales, some rights reserved (CC BY) — via iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0
On this page
  1. Identification
  2. Where it lives
  3. Biology
  4. Damage and signs
  5. Health risk
  6. Control
  7. Related profiles
  8. Common questions
  9. Sources

How to identify it

  • Adults are small, mostly white to gray with black markings on the body and legs and a yellow-to-orange head and wing edges.[1][2]
  • Nymphs are wingless and smaller, with purplish abdomens marked in white; eggs are dark reddish brown.[1]

Where it lives

Reported from North Carolina, Mississippi and other states, wherever rose of Sharon and hibiscus grow.[1][2]

US map: public records from 29 states since 1990 (GBIF).

Biology and life cycle

Adults overwinter in leaf litter; starting in late April and May, females lay eggs in masses of 1 to 36 on the plants.[1]

The bugs are most noticeable in late summer and fall, congregating on seed pods.[2]

Damage and signs

  • They feed on flower buds and seeds of rose of Sharon, hibiscus, hollyhock and other mallows, but damage to blooms is uncommon and seldom affects plant health.[1][2]
  • They have been tried as biological control of velvetleaf, a weedy mallow.[1][2]

Health risk

None to people or pets.[1][2]

Control

Traps and physical control

Control is usually unnecessary; pick bugs off by hand if they bother you.[1][2]

Pesticides

If they become abundant, treat buds and spent blooms with a product labeled for plant bugs, avoiding open flowers to protect pollinators.[1]

Common questions

Are the orange and white bugs on my rose of Sharon pods harmful?
Usually not; hibiscus scentless plant bugs rarely damage blooms.[1][2]

Sources

  1. NC State Extension, “Hibiscus Scentless Plant Bug (PDIC Factsheet).” content.ces.ncsu.edu/hibiscus-scentless-plant-bug (accessed 2026-10-16)
  2. Mississippi State University Extension (Bug's Eye View), “Hibiscus Plant Bug (Bug's Eye View, Vol. 5, No. 29, 2019).” extension.msstate.edu/newsletters/bugs-eye-view/2019/hibiscus-plant-bug-vol-5-no-29 (accessed 2026-10-16)
  3. iNaturalist, “Niesthrea louisianica taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/479475 (accessed 2026-10-06)

Updated 2026-10-16. Built from sourced records. Spot an error? Tell us.