Coreidae Research Articles

Influence of Trap Crops on Tomato and Squash Insect Pests

Influence of Trap Crops on Tomato and Squash Insect Pests

Gryon ancinla Kozlov & Lê (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae): host association, expanded distribution, redescription and a new synonymy.

BackgroundGryon Haliday (Platygastroidea: Scelionidae) is a cosmopolitan genus of egg-parasitoid wasps primarily associated with Heteroptera.New informationGryon ancinla Kozlov & Lê is reported for the first time outside of Vietnam, in China and Cambodia, and as an egg parasitoid of the pestiferous leaf-footed bug, Acanthocoris scaber (L.). Gryon ancinla is redescribed based on recently collected specimens and compared to closely related species of Gryon in the region. Gryon clavaerus Kozlov & Lê is treated as a junior synonym and some characters found in the charon species group are discussed.

Ovipositional Behavior of the Egg Parasitoid Gryon pennsylvanicum (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) on Two Squash Bug Species Anasa tristis (Hemiptera: Coreidae) and Anasa armigera: Effects of Parasitoid Density, Nutrition, and Host Egg Chorion on Parasitism Rates.

This study examined the ovipositional behavior of Gryon pennsylvanicum Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) on egg masses of two squash bug species Anasa tristis DeGeer and Anasa armigera Say (Hemiptera: Coreidae) by evaluating how parasitoid density and access to nutrition influenced percent parasitism on egg masses of different sizes in laboratory tests. When three parasitoids were exposed to A. tristis egg masses with only three to five eggs, 72.7% of parasitoids became trapped in the eggs and failed to emerge successfully. These results suggest that competition between larvae within the egg may have reduced the fitness of the surviving parasitoid. Continual access to honey water did not significantly influence parasitism rates on A. armigera egg masses and only increased parasitism on A. tristis egg masses with 20-25 eggs. Overall, parasitism rates were higher on A. armigera egg masses than on A. tristis egg masses, and parasitoids were more likely to emerge successfully from A. armigera eggs than from A. tristis eggs. Parasitoids spent the same amount of time probing eggs of the two species, but they spent significantly more time drilling into A. tristis eggs than A. armigera eggs. Measurements taken using transmission electron microscopy determined that the average combined width of the epicuticle and exocuticle of the egg chorion was significantly greater for A. tristis eggs than for A. armigera eggs. This difference may account for the lower rates of parasitism and parasitoid emergence and for the increased time spent drilling into A. tristis eggs compared with A. armigera eggs.

Comparing the Feeding Damage of the Invasive Brown Marmorated Stink Bug to a Native Stink Bug and Leaffooted Bug on California Pistachios.

Simple SummaryThe brown marmorated stink bug is native to Asia and has invaded parts of Europe and North America where it causes considerable damage to a wide range of vegetable, fruit, and nut crops. Pistachios have become an important nut crop in California, and as this invasive stink bug moved into California, farmers needed to know about the potential damage from brown marmorated stink bugs. Here, we assessed pistachio yield loss and nut damage over a two-year period. The invasive stink bug was also compared with the native green stink bug and a native leaffooted bug. We found that brown marmorated stink bug adults cause more epicarp lesions (external damage) when recorded at harvest time than the native species; however, they did not cause more kernel necrosis (internal damage) than the two native species tested, which is a more relevant damage criterion for commercial production. We conclude that the brown marmorated stink bug could cause similar damage as the native species but note that the invasive stink bug’s numbers in California are still low and future damage levels will be dependent on this pest’s population density.California currently produces about a quarter of the world’s pistachios. Pistachio nuts are susceptible to feeding by stink bugs and leaffooted bugs; therefore, the invasive presence of the highly polyphagous brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is a concern to California pistachio growers. We aimed to assess the potential of H. halys to cause yield loss and nut damage to pistachios, which had not yet been assessed in the field. Over two years, terminal branch ends with pistachio clusters were enclosed in organdy cages from spring to fall and exposed to either H. halys, the native stink bug Chinavia hilaris Say (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), or leaffooted bug Leptoglossus zonatus (Dallas) (Hemiptera: Coreidae), for 4–7-day feeding periods at different times of the season. We found that H. halys adults cause more epicarp lesions (external damage) when recorded at harvest time than the native species. They did not, however, cause more kernel necrosis (internal damage) than the two native species tested, which is a more relevant damage criterion for commercial production. There were no differences among insect species for any other recorded damage criteria. We conclude that H. halys could cause similar damage as the native species but note that H. halys population densities in California are still low and future damage levels will be dependent on this pest’s population density.

EFFICACY OF VARIOUS INSECTICIDES AGAINST MAJOR INSECT PESTS OF SUMMER SQUASH (Cucurbita pepo) IN DHADING DISTRICT, NEPAL

Red pumpkin beetle, fruit fly, flea beetle, whitefly, squash bug, melon aphid, etc. are the major insect pests of summer squash resulting in a huge loss in quality and quantity to farmers A field trial was conducted to find out the comparative efficacy of various insecticides against the major insect pests of summer squash from January to June 2020 in Dhading district, Nepal. The experiment was laid in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four different insecticides i.e. Imidachloropid 17.8 SL @1.5ml/l, Spinosad 45SC @1ml/L, Azadiractin (Nimbecidine) 500ppm @ 5 ml/L, Jholmol @ 1:5 concentrations, and normal water spray as control as five treatments. The treatments were replicated four times and ‘Anna 303’ variety of summer squash was used under study. The results revealed that, among all the insecticides evaluated at all the four sprays, Imidachloropid recorded the maximum reduction in the population of red pumpkin beetle (RPB) (about 90%), other insects (about 88%) and also showed minimum leaf infestation % (28.5%), and leaf damage % per plant (15.63%) and Spinosad being at par with Imidachloropid followed by Azadirachtin and Jholmol respectively. Imidachloropid and Spinosad also showed comparatively lower fruit infestation by fruit fly i.e. 18.5% and 20.5 % respectively than other insecticides. Both Imidachloropid and Spinosad treated plots were statistically (p<0.05) similar and significantly superior over other treatments for yield (52.11 and 50.31Mt ha-1 respectively), for fruit length (37.62 and 37.12cm respectively) and fruit diameter (26.78 and 26.51cm respectively). A negative and strong correlation was found between yield and mean population of RPB and other insects, leaf infestation % per plant, leaf damage % per plant, and fruit infestation % per plant whereas fruit length and diameter showed a positive correlation with yield. The benefit-cost ratio was highest for plot treated with Imidachloropid (4.21) followed by Spinosad, Azadiractin, Jholmol, and Control. Thus, Imidachloropid was the most effective and economic in controlling the major insect pests of summer squash.

First Report of Pomegranate Fruit Rot Caused by Botryosphaeria dothidea in Anhui Province of China

Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is an important commercial fruit rich in antioxidants grown worldwide and China has the biggest planting area in the world. In spring 2019, symptoms of fruit rot were observed for the first time in some orchards located in Huaiyuan County of Anhui Province, one of the main pomegranate producing areas in China. Disease symptoms on fruit were characterized by enlarging and merging coarse irregular spots that coalesced and became large decay lesions on the fruit surface. Infected fruits developed internal rot, became discolor and dropped. Aggregated pycnidia were found in a black stroma on fallen mummified fruit. For isolation of the pathogen, more than twenty infected pomegranate fruit samples were collected from an orchard. After surface cleaning with sterile water to clear away some dust and other microbes, dried and disinfected with 70% ethanol for 1 minute, rinsed twice with sterile water, small pieces with diseased and healthy tissue parts were placed on water agar plates (WA). Small piece of every fungal isolate grown on the WA was transferred onto PDA and incubated at 28 °C for 5 days. All fungal colonies on potato dextrose agar (PDA) plates gradually changed from gray to dark grey with olive green back and abundant aerial mycelia, bearing pycnidia with fusiform, hyaline and 16.2 to 20.1× 3.8 to 5.4 μm (n = 50) in size. Twenty isolates with the similar cultural characteristics were stored for further work. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, β-tubulin gene (TUB) and translation elongation factor 1-α (EF 1-α) gene were amplified and sequenced from three typical isolates using the universal primer pairs ITS1/ITS4 (White et al. 1990), Bt2a/Bt2b (Glass et al. 1995) and EF1-728F/EF1-986R (Carbone et al. 1999), respectively. The BLAST results of ITS (MN453421), TUB (MN515421), and EF 1-α (MN515422) sequences showed 99.64%, 99.07% and 98.89% identity with the B. dothidea sequences available in the GenBank database (KP708996, MH724212 and KP183206), respectively. To complete Koch's postulates, healthy fresh pomegranate fruits were disinfected with 70% ethanol solution for one minute and rinsed with distilled water. Fruits were allowed to dry and inoculated on the wounded surface using a mycelial plug of 5 mm in diameter excised from the edges of actively growing fungal colonies, fruits were inoculated with PDA plugs served as negative control. Three fruits were used for each treatment and control. These fruits were kept under high humidity (95% RH) using sterile distilled water in artificial incubator and the experiment was repeated twice. Decay lesions resembling natural infections were observed on fruits after 5-7 days of inoculation. Re-isolation of the pathogen, which was also identified based on the above morphological and molecular analysis as B. dothidea, produced the same fungus as the one used for inoculating the fruit, thus completing the Koch's postulates. Therefore, the pathogen of this pomegranate fruit rot in China is B. dothidea. Botryosphaeria pomegranate rot caused by B. dothidea in Florida has been reported previously and was hypothesized that this fungus could be transmitted by leaf-footed bug (Leptoglossus clypealis, Michailides, 2014). To our knowledge, this is the first report of B. dothidea causing fruit rot on pomegranate in China.

Leaf-footed bugs possess multiple hidden contrasting color signals, but only one is associated with increased body size.

Antipredatory displays that incorporate hidden contrasting coloration are found in a variety of different animals. These displays are seen in organisms that have drab coloration at rest, but when disturbed reveal conspicuous coloration. Examples include the bright abdomens of mountain katydids and the colorful underwings of hawk moths. Such hidden displays can function as secondary defenses, enabling evasion of a pursuant predator. To begin to understand why some species have these displays while others do not, we conducted phylogenetic comparative analyses to investigate factors associated with the evolution of hidden contrasting coloration in leaf‐footed bugs. First, we investigated whether hidden contrasting coloration was associated with body size because these displays are considered to be more effective in larger organisms. We then investigated whether hidden contrasting coloration was associated with an alternative antipredatory defense, in this case rapid autotomy. We found that leaf‐footed bugs with hidden contrasting coloration tended to autotomize more slowly, but this result was not statistically significant. We also found that the presence of a body size association was dependent upon the form of the hidden color display. Leaf‐footed bugs that reveal red/orange coloration were the same size, on average, as species without a hidden color display. However, species that reveal white patches on a black background were significantly larger than species without a hidden color display. These results highlight the diversity of forms that hidden contrasting color signal can take, upon which selection may act differently.

Prolonged and variable copulation durations in a promiscuous insect species: No evidence of reproductive benefits for females

Within promiscuous mating systems, copulation often functions as more than a means of fertilization, and copulation durations can vary widely. Copulating for prolonged durations can enhance both female and male reproductive success, but can also result in costs: females of some insect species experience increased fecundity and fertility through male-provided nutrition during prolonged copulations, but also decreased longevity due to male-driven mechanisms. Here, for a common, promiscuous insect species (the squash bug, Anasa tristis), we first describe the range of copulation duration, which spans from 2 min to over 23 h. To investigate whether female A. tristis benefit from prolonged copulation, we next manipulated copulation duration and female diet, and we documented the resulting fecundity, fertility, and longevity of each female. We found no evidence that prolonged copulation durations affect female reproductive success. Females produced fertile eggs after a single 30 min copulation, and they subsequently produced fertile eggs for an additional 4 weeks. Our findings suggest that females do not benefit from prolonged copulations, that sperm transfer occurs very early during copulations, and that females can store sperm for long durations. Consequently, we suggest that female harassment avoidance and male mate-guarding may explain prolonged copulations in this species.

Phylogenomics of the Leaf-Footed Bug Subfamily Coreinae (Hemiptera: Coreidae)

AbstractBaits targeting invertebrate ultraconserved elements (UCEs) are becoming more common for phylogenetic studies. Recent studies have shown that invertebrate UCEs typically encode proteins—and thus, are functionally different from more conserved vertebrate UCEs—and can resolve deep divergences (e.g., superorder to family ranks). However, whether invertebrate UCE baits have the power to robustly resolve relationships at shallower phylogenetic scales has been generally limited to investigations within the Coleoptera and Hymenoptera; thus, there are many invertebrate UCE baits that remain to be tested at shallower levels (i.e., tribes and congeners). Here, we assessed the ability of a recently designed Hemiptera UCE bait set to reconstruct more recent phylogenetic relationships in the largest leaf-footed bug subfamily, the Coreinae (Hemiptera: Coreidae), using a taxon-rich sample representing 21 of the 32 coreine tribes. Many well-supported, novel relationships were congruent in maximum likelihood and summary coalescent analyses. We also found evidence for the para- and polyphyly of several tribes and genera of Coreinae, as well as the subfamilies Coreinae and Meropachyinae. Our study, along with other recent UCE studies, provides evidence that UCEs can produce robust and novel phylogenetic hypotheses at various scales in invertebrates.

The evolution of autotomy in leaf-footed bugs.

Sacrificing body parts is one of many behaviors that animals use to escape predation. This trait, termed autotomy, is classically associated with lizards. However, several other taxa also autotomize, and this trait has independently evolved multiple times throughout Animalia. Despite having multiple origins and being an iconic antipredatory trait, much remains unknown about the evolution of autotomy. Here, we combine morphological, behavioral, and genomic data to investigate the evolution of autotomy within leaf‐footed bugs and allies (Insecta: Hemiptera: Coreidae + Alydidae). We found that the ancestor of leaf‐footed bugs autotomized and did so slowly; rapid autotomy (<2 min) then arose multiple times. The ancestor likely used slow autotomy to reduce the cost of injury or to escape nonpredatory entrapment but could not use autotomy to escape predation. This result suggests that autotomy to escape predation is a co‐opted benefit (i.e., exaptation), revealing one way that sacrificing a limb to escape predation may arise. In addition to identifying the origins of rapid autotomy, we also show that across species variation in the rates of autotomy can be explained by body size, distance from the equator, and enlargement of the autotomizable appendage.

Aerial plankton from the Eastern Tropical Pacific

Introduction: Small terrestrial invertebrates disperse in a passive manner through wind currents, forming what is known as aerial plankton, which has not been surveyed yet for the Eastern Tropical Pacific. Documenting the aerial plankton of Isla del Coco will allow to better understand the colonization process of this highly diverse island. Objective: Characterize the aerial plankton present on the transect Puntarenas – Isla del Coco. Methods: Specimens were collected using entomological nets on 2 roundtrip voyages during the months of July and August of 2017 and 2018, respectively. Results: A total of 10 morpho-species were collected corresponding to the orders: Diptera (Ceratopogonidae, Milichiidae, and Nematocera of a non-identified family), Hymenoptera (Chalcidoidea: Agaonidae), Hemiptera (Scutelleridae and Coreidae) and Lepidoptera (Sphingidae). Diptera and Hymenoptera were collected on the nets; while, Hemiptera and Lepidoptera were found on the deck of the boat. No spiders were collected. The Diptera and Hymenoptera families, as well as the family Coreidae (Hemiptera), have been previously recorded on this type of surveys across the tropical Pacific. Conclusions: Two of the taxa collected by nets, Ceratopogonidae (Diptera) and Chalcidoidea (Hymenoptera), have representatives on Isla del Coco, which could provide direct support for wind dispersal as a colonization mechanism for these groups. We also detected other insects (i.e. Lepidoptera and Scutelleridae-Hemiptera) which most likely reached the boat by their own means providing evidence of their dispersal abilities. This research provides data to further expand on questions about the mechanisms of island colonization.

Use of Flowering Plants to Enhance Parasitism and Predation Rates on Two Squash Bug Species Anasa tristis and Anasa armigera (Hemiptera: Coreidae).

A two-year study evaluated the effect of a flowering border of buckwheat Fagopyrum esculentum Moench on rates of egg parasitism, egg predation and adult parasitism on two squash bug species, Anasa tristis (DeGeer) and Anasa armigera Say, by comparing rates in squash fields with and without a flowering border. Furthermore, we evaluated whether there was an edge effect by comparing parasitism and predation rates in plots located in the corner of a squash field with plots located in the center of a squash field for fields with and without a flowering border. The egg parasitism rates were not affected by either treatment (flowering border or control) or plot location (edge or center). Anasa armigera egg masses only accounted for 4.3% of the total egg masses collected. The egg parasitism rates increased gradually throughout the season, peaking in the last week of August in 2017 at 45% for A. tristis egg masses. The most common egg parasitoid recovered was Gryon pennsylvanicum (Ashmead) followed by Ooencyrtus anasae (Ashmead). Adult parasitism was not affected by treatment, but A. tristis adult parasitism rates were higher in plots located on the edge of squash fields compared with plots located in the center of squash fields in 2016. Since adult parasitoid, Trichopoda pennipes (Fabricius) flies were observed visiting buckwheat flowers, future studies could explore the possibility that the flowering buckwheat may have a more impact on adult parasitism if there was a greater distance between fields with and without a flowering border.

Gryon vitripenne Masner (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae), nueva asociación hospedero-parasitoide con Leptoglossus zonatus (Dallas) (Heteroptera: Coreidae) en cultivos de maíz y extensión del rango geográfico

The purpose of this publication is to report a new parasitoid association of Gryon vitripenne Masner, 1983 (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae: Scelioninae) and the leaf-footed bug Leptoglossus zonatus (Dallas, 1852) (Heteroptera: Coreidae) in corn crop in Brazil as well as the extension of the geographic range of G. vitripenne to Sete Lagoas municipality, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, about 7,600 km SE from Brownsville and Harlingen, Texas, EUA, the types localities, and about 1,200 km SE from Campo Verde municipality, Mato Grosso State and 1,400 km NE from Porto Alegre municipality, Rio Grande do Sul State, the previously known records in Brazil.

2019 Academy Proceedings

2019 Academy Proceedings

Stink Bugs and Leaffooted Bugs Are Important Fruit, Nut, Seed and Vegetable Pests

Stink bugs (Pentatomidae) and leaffooted bugs (Coreidae) are important direct pests of many seed, fruit, vegetable and nut crops. Recently they have become serious pests of cotton because of the reduction in pesticide use resulting from the eradication of the boll weevil and the implementation of genetically-modified cotton. This document is ENY-718, one of a series of Entomology and Nematology Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Services, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Publication Date: April 2005.&#x0D; ENY-718/IN534: Stink Bugs and Leaffooted Bugs Are Important Fruit, Nut, Seed and Vegetable Pests (ufl.edu)

Insect Management for Legumes (Beans, Peas)

Many different insects attack leguminous vegetables. Aphids damage terminals, whiteflies feed on sap and transmit bean golden mosaic virus, and caterpillars like bean leafroller and beetles feed on leaves. Flower thrips feed in blossoms and stink bugs, corn earworm, and leaffooted bugs damage seeds and pods. This document is ENY-465 (IG151), one of a series of the Entomology &amp; Nematology Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Published: July 2002. Revised: August 2005. &#x0D; ENY-465/IG151: Insect Management for Legumes (Beans, Peas) (ufl.edu)

Bacterial Growth in Milpa Polyculture and Monoculture Soils [Emory University

Polycultures, or multicrops, are groupings of plants that grow more prolifically when planted together as compared to when planted alone as monocultures. One of the best known and widely utilized polycultures is the milpa cropping system - the cultivation of maize, beans, and squash together as “the three sisters.” Milpa has been utilized by the indigenous population of Central America for millennia due to its consistent abundant harvests; today it remains a cornerstone of the region’s tradition, diet, and economic growth. Likely contributing to this legacy is the known association of polycultures and heightened resistance to disease, yet the mechanism underlying this relationship in milpa has largely been unexplored. To assess the health of farm soil exposed to milpa monocrops, bicrops, and multicrops, we measured the growth of two bacterial strains: a Burkholderia strain symbiotic of Anasa tristis (the squash bug, an agricultural pest) and a plant pathogenic Serratia strain that is the primary causal agent of cucurbit yellow vine disease (CYVD). We found that after one week in both the polyculture (corn, bean, and squash) soil and the corn monoculture soil, the growth of Burkholderia was significantly inhibited. However, in both corn &amp; bean and bean &amp; squash biculture soils, the growth of the strain was significantly enhanced. The growth of the Serratia strain did not yield any significant increase or decrease after one week in any milpa soil. We conclude that the cultivation of milpa in its polyculture configuration demonstrates antibiotic activity towards the Burkholderia strain SQ4A. Our investigation supports findings that certain multicrop systems are less susceptible to disease than monocultures possibly due to their greater microbial biomass; thus we can infer a higher amount of root exudates present in the soil, of which a substantial amount may be anti-microbials.

A review of the Coreidae of Hispaniola (Hemiptera: Heteroptera), with description of one new species, new distributional records, and a key to the subfamilies, tribes, genera and species.

A faunistic survey of the Hispaniolan bugs of the family Coreidae is presented based on the study of over 1000 specimens deposited in several entomological collections. The new species Zicca gloriosa sp. nov. is described from the Dominican Republic. Another 12 species are new records for the island, 11 of them being new records for the Dominican Republic: Althos obscurator (Fabricius, 1803), Anasa acutangula Stål, 1870, Anasa tristis (De Geer, 1773), Eubule spartocerana Brailovsky, 1992, Leptoglossus confusus Alayo Grillo, 1977, Mamurius cubanus Barber Bruner, 1947, Merocoris distinctus Dallas, 1852, Merocoris typhaeus (Fabricius, 1798), Phthia rubropicta (Westwood, 1842), Sethenira ferruginea Stål, 1870, and Zicca rubricator rubricator (Fabricius, 1803). New records for Haiti are Anasa scorbutica (Fabricius, 1798), Catorhintha selector Stål, 1859, Chariesterus gracilicornis Stål, 1870, Rhytidophthia splendida (Valdes, 1910) and Zicca taeniola (Dallas, 1852). The literature citations presented in Perez-Gelabert (2008) of Leptoglossus cinctus (Herrich-Schäffer, 1836) and Leptoglossus stigma (Herbst, 1784) are probably based on erroneous identifications and not counted as part of the Hispaniolan fauna. The total number of species presently known from Hispaniola is raised to 28. Key to subfamilies, tribes, genera and species are included, as well as color dorsal habitus.

Boll injury caused by leaffooted bug in late-season cotton

Leaffooted bug, Leptoglossus phyllopus (L.) (Hemiptera: Coreidae), has been observed on late-season cotton in south Texas and elsewhere in USA. Field-collected leaffooted bugs were caged on cotton in 2013 and 2014 to characterize symptoms and distribution of boll injury within the cotton plant and within the context of the insect's late-season occurrence (about 5 nodes above white flower). Boll injury and symptoms of cotton boll rot on cotton plants infested with leaffooted bug were similar to those caused by stink bugs and plant bugs. In 2013, there was more boll injury to younger bolls (on average) in reproductive middle branches 6 to 10 (1.28 ± 0.25 boll injury, based on a 0 to 4 scale) than on the relatively older bolls in lower branches 1 to 5 (0.50 ± 0.13), when infesting cotton with one leaffooted bug per plant. Cotton boll rot generally followed the same pattern: higher frequency of boll rot symptoms on bolls in the middle branches (29.4% ± 8.0) than in lower branches (9.2% ± 2.1). In 2014 under severe water-stress conditions, the amount of boll injury and cotton boll rot was marginally lower, and significant differences were not detected between middle and lower branches. When yield was measured in 2013, there were no differences detected between infested and uninfested plants despite substantial boll injury and cotton boll rot. Overall, boll injury and cotton boll rot data supported leaffooted bug as a damaging cotton insect, although yield loss was not detected experimentally late-season which coincided when leaffooted bug has been observed in production fields. We propose that risk to yield is low when leaffooted bug movement to cotton is detected late-season, while risk to yield may increase if leaffooted bugs move to cotton earlier when bolls are younger. Further study is warranted to evaluate degree of risk across cotton boll age, development, and water stress.

Predation ofAnasa tristis(Hemiptera: Coreidae) byGeocoris punctipes(Hemiptera: Geocoridae)

Thesquash bug, Anasa tristis (DeGeer), is an indigenous pest of squash, Cucurbita pepo L., and other cucurbits. Geocoris punctipes (Say) adults were collected from stands of mixed grasses in Spalding County, GA, held without food for 24 h, and presented A. tristis eggs, first instars, or second instars in no-choice tests. Consumption of first and second instars was significantly greater by females than by males. Egg consumption was very low with no difference between males and females (P > 0.05). Male G. punctipes consumed a range of 0 to 3 first-instar squash bugs, 0 to 6 second-instar squash bugs, and 0 eggs during the 72-h exposure. Females consumed a range of 0 to 10 first-instar squash bugs, 0 to 10 second-instar squash bugs, and a range of 0 to 1 eggs. Male G. punctipes consumed on average 1.08 ± 0.24 first-instar squash bugs, 1.68 ± 0.41 second-instar squash bugs, and 0 eggs during the 72-h exposure. Females consumed on average 4.12 ± 0.56 first-instar squash bugs, 4.28 ± 0.56 second-instar squash bugs, and 0.12 ± 0.06 eggs. Background mortality for first and second instars was similar and exceeded that for eggs in control, male, and female trials. Previous research demonstrated seasonal overlap in squash bug nymphs and G. punctipes occurrence. These data suggest that G. punctipes can contribute to the suppression of early-season squash bug populations.