KVH recently received a report of a raft of eggs on Gold3 leaves through our make a report online form.

While the adult nearby the egg mass escaped being photographed two great images of nymphs were supplied which helped confirm that the find was not a BMSB.

The images – which you can view here - suggested the unusual egg rafts were those of the Pittosporum shield bug. This species comes from Australia and is found in the North and South Islands. It was first detected in 1950 and occurs on host Pittosporum species and in native ecosystems, breeding from spring onwards, with females continuing to lay eggs until early autumn. Egg batches hatch over several weeks, and so nymphs of all sizes may be present at the same time.

Egg rafts of different shield bug species are unique, with colour, shape, size and numbers per cluster valuable clues to help identify unusual finds.

Pittosporum shield bug eggs are about 1mm in diameter and laid in clusters of up to 14. Colouration is pale blue-green when first laid, turning white after a few days.

A reminder to be in touch with anything you see that is unusual and snap as many images as you can to help support our follow-up.