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As it is currently destroying my brassica plants. I can't find a reference to it in any of my gardening books. It looks really evil!

Thanks.

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Maybe a stink bug/sheild bug?

Similar pic here (scroll down a little):

HGIC - Invasive Species: Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

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Wow Seahorse, that's amazing. I think you're right. How did you ever find a picture of it! What a name

Now all I need to find out is how to get rid of the blighters. Any ideas?

Much as I'd like to pretend to be a world authority on insects, all I did was put 'orange and black insect' into Google Images

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Always look on the bright side of life...
I mean - what have you got to lose?
You know, you come from nothing - you're going back to nothing.
What have you lost? Nothing!

Stink bugs are susceptible to insecticides that were used to spray on boll weevils. “From the success of boll weevil eradication, Bt cotton and the use of more selective insecticides for plant bugs, we’ve opened a window for stink bugs.

“Another component of stink bug problems is the impact of changes in the agri-ecosystem in the last five to 10 years,” Stewart said. “It’s obvious this year. With good soybean prices, we’ve seen a lot of early Group 3 and Group 4 soybeans. And they are a good stink bug host.”

Understanding how stink bugs move and behave in the environment can help you control the two primary species of concern to Mid-South farmers, the brown and the green, according to Stewart.

“Adults of both species are easily recognizable — the green is green and the brown is brown. They lay egg masses of 10 to 100, barrel-shaped compact eggs. Identifying the immatures is a little more difficult, noted Stewart.

“It is important to distinguish between the two because brown stink bugs are a little more difficult to control with pyrethroid insecticides. The green stink bug is very easy to control with pyrethroids, Orthene, Bidrin, methyl parathion and Vydate.”#

Setting a trap for stink bugs

Bronze Orange Bugs
The eggs of these sucking insects lay dormant over winter, emerging as tiny, green nymphs when it warms up. Bronze orange bugs or stink bugs, change colour from yellow to orange as they grow and have a distinctive black spot on their backs. Mature insects are dark brown to black. They cluster in groups on new growth and flower and fruit stems, feeding through a sucking proboscis. This causes new growth to die back and flowers and developing fruit to drop.

If picking them off by hand, wear gloves and eye protection. These bugs secrete a caustic, acrid substance. Use an old vacuum cleaner to suck them off. Oil sprays are also effective, especially on nymph stages.

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I don't think shield bugs would eat your brassicas. I'm prepared to be proved wrong though. They do suck sap but they also eat other pests. I'd try removing a few from some of the plants (by hand, carefully - they might be allies) and see what happens. If you get over-run with greenfly or whitefly you'll know what they were eating!

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Bet they don't stink as bad as comfrey tea!!!!

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You've got the nymph of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug. It is an agricultural pest that can cause widespread damage to fruit and vegetable crops. In Japan it is a pest to soybean and fruit crops. In the U.S.,it feeds on a wide range of fruits, vegetables, and other host plants beginning in late May/early June including peaches, apples, green beans, soybeans, cherry, raspberries, and pears Top40-Charts.com - 40 Top 20 & Top 40 Music Charts from 25 Countries

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