About Cotton Stainer Bugs

Cotton Stainer bugs Pyrrhocoridae are so called because some members of the family leave an indelible yellow-brownish stain on cotton crops. They have a red and black head, red eyes and pink to orange body, with a small black dot on each forewing.

Pale Cotton Stainer

These mating Pale Cotton Stainer bugs Dysdercus sidae were on an Abutilon grandifolium at Carwoola Street in Bardon near Ithaca Creek when they transferred to the photographer’s hat. Pale Cotton Stainers usually feed on native plants and weeds, sometimes on cultivated plants and fruit trees. Pale Cotton Stainer can be a minor pest of cotton, staining the lint and damaging the seed, and is known to damage ripening peaches.

Photo: Robert Whyte

Photo: Robert Whyte