ABSTRACT
L. Radcliffe et al. (1991) reported, based on a survey of potato specialists (primarily research and extension entomologists), that this bug is considered a minor pest of potatoes.
Murgantia
histrionica
is multivoltine, with estimates of the number of complete generations per year ranging from three to eight in the South and from two to five in the North, with adults usually overwintering (see McPherson 1982). These wide ranges in reported voltinism are not surprising because of the difficulty in separating
overlapping generations. Also, this stink bug can become active during winter months if temperatures are mild, with feeding, copulation, and oviposition possible (Brett and Sullivan 1974), further adding to the confusion about its life cycle. However, it is probably bivoltine in the North and bi-or trivoltine in the South with an additional generation possible under favorable conditions. Recently, Ludwig and Kok (1998a) reported that it has two generations and a partial third per year in Virginia.
