Why they are both Beneficial & Pest
These bugs are considered more of a pest in the fruit tree industry.
They need to be monitored as they can beneficial as well.
On the beneficial side, both the adult and nymphs will eat small caterpillars and eggs as well as the adults and eggs of spider mites.
On the pest side, they can damage growing plant tips. They feed on flowers and developing fruit, and their eggs are laid in the buds, causing scabbing and indentations in fruit that look like dimples (hence the name “apple dimpling bug”).
They can be found on a range of vegetables and fruits such as apples, pears and some stone fruit, as well as Australian-native and non-native plants.
They don’t cause as much damage as the green mirid
