Southern green shieldbug

Find out how to identify southern green shieldbug and look its life cycle and the crop damage it causes.

The southern green shieldbug, Nezara viridula, is a tropical and subtropical insect that has been imported into the UK on fruit and vegetable products for many years but was not found in the wild until 2003.

It feeds on a wide range of plants and is a serious pest of many important food crops, including sweet pepper and aubergine. The adults are strong fliers and are capable of long-distance natural dispersal during warm weather.

Understanding and recognising the insect, and learning the various control methods available, can help you protect your crops from this pest.

Find out more about how the insect grows and matures.

How to recognise what is a southern green shieldbug, as opposed to the far less damaging common green shieldbug.

Discover the range of damage the pest can cause to key crops such as sweet peppers.

For information on your crop protection options:

The content on this page was authored for AHDB by Dr Rob Jacobson (Rob Jacobson Consultancy Ltd).

Adult southern green shieldbug (Nezara viridula)

Image © Steve Gill.