Western Conifer Seed Bug

This seems to be a Western Conifer Seed Bug, and from the name you can probably guess that it's not from around here. While many invasive species are from other continents, the Western Conifer Seed Bug invaded us from closer to home: the western US.

Similar to its native relative, the Leaf-footed Pine Seed Bug (aka Pine Leaf-footed Bug aka Leaf-footed Pine Bug) hinders seed production of conifers. It sounds like the WCSB may harm seed production more than the LFPSB, perhaps because as an invader it's less likely to be bothered by predators or parasites, resulting in larger and healthier populations of WCSBs.

These bugs won't damage your home, but they will try and spend the winter indoors with you. It also sounds like they can be smelly if you squish them; some places suggest vacuuming them up instead. Despite this similarity to other bugs like the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, they aren't closely related to the stink/shield bugs; both the WCSB and the LFPSB are in the leaf-footed bug family. (The leaf-footed bugs and the stink bugs also don't look especially closely related either.)

September 12, 2021 at Mt Pleasant Villas
Photo 168279591, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

September 12, 2021 at Mt Pleasant Villas
Photo 168279566, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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