Subject: Anchor Stink Bug, Stiretrus anchorago, in the Stink Bug Family, Pentatomidae

Location: Upshur County, West Virginia for photos above; Albemarle County, Virginia for photo at left

Stock Number: Pinkish bug MVN-29; yellow bug 06-25495; orange bug 1636-11

Comments: In West Virginia the adults may be found any time from Spring through Fall. The species shows considerable variation in both color and markings. In addition to the varieties shown here, some bugs sport red and black coloration while others are in black and white.

Adults feed on caterpillars and beetle larvae, including a number of pest species. The bugs may be found on almost any plant where their favored food sources live. Farmers have reported this species on soybeans and other beans, peanuts, alfalfa, and corn, where the bugs play an economically beneficial role.

Stiretrus anchorago ranges from Ontario to Florida and as far west as the Great Plains. At least five subspecies have been described.