Kudzu-eating Pest Found in Northeast Georgia

Kudzu-eating Pest Found in Northeast Georgia (Nov 5, 2009)
University of Georgia College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences.
Researchers from the University of Georgia and Dow AgroSciences have identified a kudzu-eating pest in northeast Georgia that has never been found in the Western Hemisphere. The bug tentatively identified as the bean plataspid (Megacopta cribraria), a native to India and China, also eats legume crops, especially soybeans. The Georgia Department of Agriculture will be working with the University of Georgia and the USDA to determine the best way to handle the insect. A Statewide Emergency Pest Alert (PDF
63 KB) has been issued with information for Georgia county agents.