Four-lined plant bug

Identification. Four-lined plant bug nymphs are bright red to orange in color with black wing pads and dots on their abdomen when they first hatch. Later instars have black wing pads with a yellow strip on each. Adults are greenish-yellow with four black strips running longitudinally down the wings. The head is orange-brown and the legs are yellow-green. Both nymphs and adults have piercing-sucking mouthparts.
Biology. Four-lined plant bugs are most commonly encountered on herbaceous perennials including chrysanthemum, Chinese lantern, liatris, and shasta daisy. They also feed on herbs, including mint and basil. They may also be found feeding on woody ornamentals, such as azalea, dogwood, forsythia, viburnum, amur maple and sumac, and flowering annuals, such as zinnia and marigold. Berries such as currant and gooseberry are attractive to four-lined plant bug and although less common on vegetables, they can be a pest on peppers.
Four-lined plant bug eggs hatch in late spring and nymphs begin feeding on the upper side of leaves. After feeding for about four weeks, the nymphs molt into adults. Adults will continue to feed and then mate, laying banana shaped eggs in vertical slits measuring two to three inches along the plant's stem. They are usually not laid individually but instead are laid in groups of six or more. The eggs will overwinter and hatch in late May or early June just after the plant's foliage emerges. There is only one generation per year.