July 2016. A member from Bangladesh asked what are these insects?

The response was that they are newly hatched pentatomid (stink bug) nymphs surrounding an empty egg raft. Not nymphs of Nezara viridula, perhaps those of Scolinophara (rice black bug)?

There was also a suggestion that they were Halyomorpha halys. Following on that a Pestnet moderator sent a detailed response concerning H. halys.

There is a record of Halyomorpha halys (Stal) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in “Agricultural Insects of China.” Vol.1. 1986. Edited by Institute of Zoology, Academia Sinica, Agricultural Publishing House, Beijing. p.378.(in Chinese). H. halys also appears in Hua Li-Zhong. 2000. “List of Chinese Insects.” Vol.1. Zhongshan (Sun Yat-sen) University Press, Guangzhou. p. 173, as follows: Halyomorpha halys(Stal, 1855) (Cimex) Syn. Halyomorpha picus Fabricius, 1784; Halyomorpha mistus (Uhler, 1860. It has been recorded in Jilin, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Beijing, Henan, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Hubei, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Taiwan, Guangdong, Hong Kong, Hunan, Guangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Xizang; [JAPAN, INDONESIA, MALAYSIA, SRI LANKA, VIETNAM, BURMA, INDIA, AUStrALIA.

Its hosts are: Camellia oleifera, Pyrus, Glycine max, Beta vulgaris, Gossypium, Triticum aestivum, Vitis vinifera, Malus pumila, Prunus persica, Ulmus.

H. halys was also recorded as H. picus Fabricius (one of the synonym of H. halys in Hua i-Zhong, 2000) in “Results of Insect Investigation 1967-1968”. on p. 118. (in Vietnamese).

Since it is recorded in Yunnan and Burma and on tea, and these countries are adjacent to Bangladesh, the image sent is most likely H. halys. However, there is need for additional observation in the rice fields to see if they are common or not. Rice may merely serve as an accidental egg-laying substrate; the rice plant itself may not be a true host.