Bill Cissel, Extension Agent – Integrated Pest Management; bcissel@udel.edu
Congratulations to Stevie Steele for identifying the insect in this past week’s Guess the Pest and for being selected to be entered into the end of season raffle for $100 not once but five times. Everyone else who guessed correctly will also have their name entered into the raffle. Stevie will also receive a FREE copy of A Farmer’s Guide to Corn Diseases. Click on the Guess the Pest logo below to participate in this week’s Guess the Pest! For Guess the Pest # 9, we will also be giving away A Farmer’s Guide To Corn Diseases ($29.95 value) to one lucky participant.
http://www.plantmanagementnetwork.org/book/cornfarmersguide/
Guess the Pest Week #11
Answer is….. Kudzu Bug
The kudzu bug, also called the bean plataspid, lablab bug, and globular stink bug is an invasive species introduced from Asia. It that was first discovered in Georgia in 2009 and has since been detected throughout much of the southeastern US. In 2013, the kudzu bug was detected in Sussex County Delaware. Kudzu bug adults and nymphs are a pest of soybean, using their piercing sucking mouthparts to feed on plant sap of soybean stems and leaf petioles. In Georgia and South Carolina, kudzu bug feeding injury reduced yield in 16 of 19 trials with an average yield loss of 18%, ranging from 0-47%. Currently, in Delaware we have not had a single soybean field with a yield limiting infestation of kudzu bugs. However, if this invasive pest were to become a problem for us, scouting methods, and thresholds have been developed in the South and there are many insecticides that can provide effective control.
I am currently surveying soybean fields and a couple kudzu bug patches throughout the state for kudzu bugs. Please contact me if you find a field infested with kudzu bugs (bcissel@udel.edu).
Here is a link for more information including identification, distribution, and research on the kudzu bug: https://www.kudzubug.org/
Kudzu Bug Distribution Map
Guess the Pest Week #12
What is this insect?
To submit your guess click the Guess the Pest logo below or go to: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfUPYLZnTRsol46hXmgqj8fvt5f8-JI0eEUHb3QJaNDLG_4kg/viewform?c=0&w=1
