Bug FAQMottled Stink Bug
Rhaphigaster nebulosa · Order: Hemiptera · Family: Pentatomidae
Also called: Mottled Shield Bug
The mottled stink bug is a large, hair-less shield bug about 14 to 16 mm long, coloured dirty yellow-grey to brown with dark speckles on its wing membranes. It lives in warm deciduous forests, parks and gardens across Europe and the Palearctic, often entering houses in search of winter shelters. Adults are present year-round, are active by day, and release a strong-smelling secretion when threatened.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
It is hairless and its top side is dirty yellow-grey to brown with irregular fovea. The forewing membranes often show dark brown speckles, though the amount varies.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults reach 14 to 16 mm in length.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
It often enters homes while looking for winter shelters. It likes to overwinter on ivy-covered walls.
Source: Wikipedia
Does it bite or sting?
When threatened it releases a strong-smelling secretion. If angered it can emit an off-white fluid that is harmful if swallowed.
Source: Wikipedia
How to get rid of it
Its eggs can be parasitised by the samurai wasp Trissolcus japonicus.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It prefers warm deciduous forests, parks and gardens. In search of winter quarters it can wander into houses.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
It feeds on sap from many broad-leaved trees and shrubs such as birch, hazel, beech, oak, plane, hawthorn, apple, plum and others. It also eats freshly dead insects like leaf-beetle larvae.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
In late spring the female lays about 40 eggs in rows or discs on plant parts. The species produces one generation per year.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults can be found throughout the year. It is active during the day and prefers warm conditions.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is native to Europe and widespread throughout the Palearctic, especially in southern Central Europe.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It resembles Dolycoris baccarum but lacks hairs. Other Rhaphigaster species can also be confused with it.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
How can I identify a mottled stink bug?
Look for a large (14 to 16 mm) hairless shield bug that is dirty yellow-grey to brown with irregular fovea and often dark speckles on the forewing membranes.
Source: Wikipedia
Why do they appear in my house?
They enter homes while searching for cracks and splits to use as winter shelters.
Source: Wikipedia
What can help control their numbers?
Eggs are naturally parasitised by the samurai wasp Trissolcus japonicus, which can reduce their population.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Pentatomidae)
Brown Marmorated Stink BugHalyomorpha halysDamages trees, gardens or crops
Green Stink BugChinavia hilarisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Harlequin BugMurgantia histrionicaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Brown Stink BugEuschistus servusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Green Shield BugPalomena prasina
European Striped Shield BugGraphosoma italicumSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhaphigaster_nebulosa
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.