Adult Thorn Bugs are half-inch long insects that are “true bugs” (members of the insect Family Membracidae).
They are native to South America, Central America, and many tropical islands. As with other members of this family, Thorn Bugs have sucking mouthparts that allow them to pierce plant tissues and drink plant sap.
As a result, Thorn Bugs can cause the death of some twigs and potentially introduce diseases to the plant. However, in most cases, Thorn Bug populations are very low and damage caused by thorn bugs is minimal.
The good news is that these insects do not feed on most native North American trees.
Thorn bugs are an exotic invasive species in Florida that was likely introduced long ago along with an exotic tree species such as the Earleaf Acacia.Even today these insects feed primarily on exotic invasive trees and shrubs imported from tropical areas.
Thorn bugs are fascinating to watch and harmless to humans – unless you are barefoot and happen to step on an adult Thorn Bug that has somehow fallen to the ground. They come by the name “Thorn Bug” for a reason:both adults and juveniles are endowed with nasty looking “thorn-like” spines.
The spines are only their visual defense against birds and other predators that might eat them.
They are not aggressive towards humans and the adult female that is watching over them will only herd them into a tight cluster if a human or potential predator approaches too closely.