Cabbage Bug Identification Guide
Identify the cabbage bug by its neat rows of orange, red, or white spots on a dark, shield-shaped body found on cabbage-family plants.
Read the full Cabbage Bug encyclopedia entry →
Key Visual Features
The cabbage bug (species in the genus Eurydema) is a small to medium shield-shaped true bug with a strongly patterned, spotted appearance often found on cruciferous plants.
- Size: About 6-9 mm (roughly 1/4 to 3/8 inch) long
- Color: Dark metallic blue, green, or black background marked with orange, red, yellow, or white spots and stripes
- Body shape: Broad, rounded-to-shield shape typical of stink bugs, slightly convex
- Wings: Leathery forewing bases with membranous tips, folded flat over the abdomen; wing pattern usually continues the spotted theme from the body
- Legs: Dark, sometimes with lighter banding
- Antennae: Five-segmented, dark colored
- Markings: Typically arranged in a fairly regular, symmetrical pattern of spots or short bands across the pronotum and scutellum, giving a neater, more orderly look than some similarly colored relatives
Where and When You'd See It
Cabbage bugs are found on cabbage, mustard, and other plants in the cabbage family, as well as nearby weeds in the same plant group. They are active from spring through summer, often seen resting or feeding in small groups on leaves, stems, and flower heads in gardens, allotments, and agricultural fields. Sunny, open growing areas are the most likely places to encounter them.
Similar-Looking Bugs
- Harlequin bug: Similar habitat and general coloring but with larger, irregular, asymmetrical blotches rather than the neat rows of spots typical of cabbage bugs.
- Bagrada bug: Smaller and more uniformly patterned with fine orange-and-white markings on black, often confused with cabbage bugs due to overlapping host plants.
- Green shield bug: Lacks the bold contrasting spotted pattern, appearing mostly solid green instead.
- Southern green stink bug: Plain green without the spotted, multicolored pattern.
Paying attention to the regularity of the spot pattern and the metallic sheen of the background color helps separate cabbage bugs from other brightly patterned shield bugs sharing the same host plants.
Quick ID Checklist
- Small to medium (6-9 mm), broad shield-shaped body
- Dark metallic blue, green, or black background
- Regular rows or bands of orange, red, yellow, or white spots
- Found on cabbage-family plants and related weeds
- Active in sunny gardens and fields, spring through summer
Frequently asked questions
How do I tell a cabbage bug apart from a harlequin bug?
Look at the pattern regularity: cabbage bugs tend to show neat, fairly symmetrical rows of spots on a metallic background, while harlequin bugs display larger, irregular, splotchy orange-and-black patches.
What plants are cabbage bugs usually found on?
They are typically found on cabbage, mustard, and other cabbage-family plants, along with nearby weeds in the same plant family.
What size is a cabbage bug?
Adults are small to medium, generally 6-9 mm long, with a broad, shield-shaped, slightly convex body.
What color is the background of a cabbage bug's body?
The base color is usually a dark metallic blue, green, or black, overlaid with contrasting orange, red, yellow, or white spots.