Southern green stink bug [Nezara viridula (L.)] adults and other pentatomid pests can transmit pathogens (e.g., the bacterium Pantoea agglomerans) that cause disease in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) and other high-value cash crops worldwide. First instars of N. viridula were recently shown to ingest P. agglomerans strain Sc1R with rifampicin-resistance, and to retain the pathogen to the 2nd instar. The objective of this study was to determine the acquisition of P. agglomerans Sc1R by early instars of N. viridula and determine persistence of P. agglomerans Sc1R across subsequent stadia. In three trials, early instars (1st and 2nd) were exposed to P. agglomerans Sc1R and subsequently maintained to adulthood; cohorts were sampled at 3rd and 5th instars, as well as adults. In every trial, P. agglomerans Sc1R was detected in all stadia, including adults, but significantly higher frequencies of infection than expected were observed at the initial stage of infection (either 1st or 2nd instar). Higher densities of P. agglomerans Sc1R were detected in 1st and 2nd instars, and lower densities were observed in subsequent stadia. Densities of innate bacterial flora were generally lower when the initial stage of exposure was at 1st instar than when the initial stage of exposure was at the 2nd instar. Overall, half of the adults possessed P. agglomerans Sc1R. These findings demonstrated that N. viridula nymphs can acquire P. agglomerans Sc1R and retain the pathogen to adulthood. Potential avenues of research to further elucidate the implications of nymphs harboring pathogens to adulthood are discussed. Resources in this dataset:Resource Title: Raw data for interstadial retention of Pantoea agglomerans Sc1R by southern green stink bug stadia. File Name: Interstadial pathogen retention_final data.csvResource Description: Raw data for Retention of Sc1R across interstadial molts of the southern green stink bug, 2019; CFU, colony-forming units; CFUs_count, number of colony-forming units; LBA, Luria Bertani agar; LBA_Rif, Luria Bertani agar amended with rifampicin; Sc1R, Pantoea agglomerans Sc1RResource Title: Summary tables of LSMeans and back-transformed means for densities of Pantoea agglomerans and general bacteria across southern green stink bug stadia. File Name: Log-LSMeans and back_transformed means for Pantoea agglomerans Sc1R densities in southern green stink bug stadia.csvResource Description: Summary tables of densities of P. agglomerans Sc1R and general bacteria across stadia of the southern green stink bug.