Woolly Apple Aphid vs Rice Stink Bug

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Woolly Apple Aphid Rice Stink Bug
Scientific Name Eriosoma lanigerum Oebalus pugnax
Order Hemiptera Hemiptera
Family Aphididae Pentatomidae
Size 1-2 mm 8-12 mm
Habitat Orchards Wetlands
Diet Gall Makers Seed Feeders
Regions Cosmopolitan in temperate regions North America, Central America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Woolly Apple Aphid

An aphid covered in waxy white filaments that forms colonies on apple tree bark and roots. Heavy infestations cause gall-like swellings on branches and roots.

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Did You Know?

It alternates between elm trees in spring and apple trees in summer across its complex life cycle.

Rice Stink Bug

A slender, straw-colored stink bug that is the most damaging hemipteran pest of rice in the Americas. It feeds on developing rice grains, causing 'pecky rice' that is discolored and unmarketable.

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Did You Know?

Feeding punctures allow fungi to enter developing rice grains, creating dark spots that cause entire harvests to be downgraded.