Emerging

• The stinkbug winters underground, beneath the earth or the debris of leaves. It emerges in the spring, hungry and with the females looking for a place to lay their eggs.
  
  Depending upon the species, stinkbugs have laid their eggs as early as the second week in April and as late as Dec. 12 in North America.
  
  

Eggs

• The stinkbug deposits eggs on the undersides of leaves with rows of barrel-shaped eggs left in clusters that can contain as many as 130 eggs. The eggs are white to yellow when laid and take on a pink color as they mature.
  
  In the summer, the nymph will emerge in about five days. In early spring and late fall, the nymph might not emerge for two to three weeks.
  
  

Nymph

• The nymph will take five to six minutes to get out of the egg, and once the first egg hatches, the entire pod will hatch within an hour and a half. The wingless nymphs that emerge begin feeding on nearby plants.
  
  In many species, including the green stinkbug and green shield bug, the emerging nymph is green with black spots.
  
  

Nymph Stages

• The nymph will go through five stages of growth before becoming an adult. The first stage is about three days, with the nymphs beginning to feed during the second stage.
  
  After its first molt, the nymph that emerges is greener with fewer black spots. With each molt, the nymph becomes greener, although some small white or light green marks might remain. The nymph has the ability to overwinter in this stage of development and will turn brown.
  
  

Adult

• In most species, the adult feeds on plants by inserting a part of its mouth designed for piercing and sucking into the plant. There are a few species of stinkbugs that prey on other insects.
  
  The adult stinkbug will mate up to four times per year, with copulation lasting a few minutes to a few days. Females can lay their first pods of eggs within three to four weeks after reaching their adult stage.