Editing Parent bug (section)

==Life cycle==
Adults of ''E. grisea'' can be found all year around. In fact this species overwinters as an adult. Mating occurs in the spring and new adults can be found in August.<ref name=BB/> These shield bugs feed on various woody plants, preferably on birch (''[[Betula]]'' sp.), but also on alder (''[[Alnus]]'' sp.), beech ([[Fagus (plant)|''Fagus'']] sp.), holly (''[[Ilex]]'' sp.), spruce (''[[Picea]]'' sp.), etc.<ref name=Cle/> Like most shield bugs, ''E. grisea'' and other parent bugs suck plant [[sap]] and require [[symbiotic bacteria]] for their digestion.<ref name="fischer">Fischer C (2006) The biological context and evolution of Pendergrast’s organs of Acanthosomatidae (Heteroptera, Pentatomoidea) 50:1041-1054</ref> They obtain [[symbionts]] at an early age: the mother covers her eggs with bacteria so that the [[Nymph (biology)|nymphs]] ingest them as they feed on the egg case.<ref name="fischer"/> Both adults and nymphs readily feed on developing seeds, and breeding individuals can be observed on host plants with many young [[catkin]]s.<ref name="mappes1">{{cite journal | last1 = Mappes | first1 = J | last2 = Kaitala | first2 = A | year = 1995 | title = Host-plant selection and predation risk for offspring of the parent bug | journal = Ecology | volume = 76 | issue = 8| pages = 2668–2670 | doi=10.2307/2265839| jstor = 2265839 }}</ref> However, they seem to avoid trees with a high [[predation]] risk.