Studies of the Biology of the Tarnished Plant Bug, Lygus lineolaris

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Abstract
Because of the importance of the tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris (P. de B.), as a pest of the seed of birdsfoot, trefoil, Lotus corniculatus L., studies were initiated on certain aspects of the bug’s biology. The seasonal history was observed in the field form weekly bug collections and by dissecting the females to study egg development. All of the information suggests that there are at least two and probably three generations each year of the tarnished plant bug associated with birdsfoot trefoil in New York. An experiment designed to determine the height of flight of the tarnished plant bug indicated that about 90% of these insects fly within 5 feet of the ground and few, if any, fly higher than 18 feet. Preliminary investigations of the sex ratio revealed that, averaged over the growing season, the males of the tarnished plant bug outnumbered the females. However, females significantly outnumbered males in groups of tarnished plant bugs collected from tanglefoot traps in the spring prior to the appearance of the first new adults of the season.

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