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πŸ› True Bugs

African Cotton Stainer

Dysdercus fasciatus

About

A vividly red and black pyrrhocorid bug that is a significant pest of cotton across tropical Africa. It aggregates in large numbers on cotton plants where it feeds on developing bolls. The bold coloration signals its unpalatability to birds.

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Did You Know?

Large mating aggregations of hundreds of individuals form dense red clusters on cotton plants, making them highly conspicuous to farmers.