Have you seen all life stages of the Bagrada bug? We followed the life of a male Bagrada Bug we called "Luigi" starting at the egg stage. We witnessed his eclosion (hatching) at the Yuma Agricultural Center. We also captured on video his sclerotization which is when the cuticle of an insect is hardened by chemical agents and changes in color. When he became an adult we introduced him to Luciana, a beautiful bagrada female from Holtvillle CA. Watch the biographical account of Luigi's life in the video: "Luigi, The Jungle Bug".

To contact Marco Peña go to: marcop@ag.arizona.edu

For questions or comments on any of the topics please contact Marco Pena at the Yuma Agricultural Center.
College of Agriculture, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ.