Newly introduced to Europe, the Sycamore Seed Bug feeds on the seeds of sycamore trees and has the potential to become a pest in urban areas.
Native to North America, the Sycamore Seed Bug lives and eats on sycamore trees, which are also called plane trees. True to the bug's name, it feeds on the tree's seeds, which limits the spreading of fertile seeds to other areas. How they arrived in Europe is unknown, but they have been noticed in substantial numbers in parks and walkways lined with plane trees. They may become a nuisance over time, creating a need to spray trees. Sycamore Seed Bugs are able to survive cold winters as eggs; in warmer parts of their range, adults can take shelter under the bark of their host tree.
Sycamore Seed Bugs are long and a mottled dark brown. A triangular plate on the back sits near the head. Transparent wing tips are exposed and overlap each other by the end of the abdomen. Adults are active from mid-spring through autumn and 3 to 4 generations can be produced in a single year.
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Arthropoda
Class:Insecta
Order:Hemiptera
Family:Lydaeidae
Genus:Belonochilus
Species:numenius
Identifying Information
Scientific Name: Belonochilus numenius
Category:
True Bug
Size (Adult; Length): 8mm to 10mm (0.31in to 0.39in)
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Colors: brown, tan
