Kudzu Bugs; Urban and Agricultural Pest

Oh, kudzu bug (Megacopta cribraria), you truly are a pest.  Not only does it smell, being part of the stinkbug family after all, but it also is an urban pest and an agricultural pest.  It was discovered in the U. S. in October 2009 in Georgia and has since spread throughout the southeast.

Map from BugwoodWiki Megacopta cribraria

So, how could these be a urban issue as well as an agricultural one?  Kuzdu bugs are attracted to light-colored surfaces, most notably house siding, white cars and white clothing.

kudzu bug (Megacopta cribraria) by Matthew Gibson, Bugwood.org

When the bugs were first found, no alarm bells went off.  They eat kudzu, we have plenty of that!  Well, soon after, they were found on other legume plants.  In 2014, 84.6 million acres of soybeans were planted in the U. S. and value of production was $40,288,536,000 (USDA-NASS Crop Values
2014 Summary).  That's a lot of food for hungry kudzu bugs.

kudzu bug (Megacopta cribraria) by Jeremy Greene, Clemson University, Bugwood.org

So, why are we talking about kudzu bugs now?  The adults are waking up from overwintering, crawling out of their sheltered cracks and crevices.  Soon you will see them on houses and other structures warming up for the season.  During the summer, they will move to kudzu and other legume plants to reproduce.  In certain areas of Georgia they have been observed to have a second generation.  While they only feed and reproduce on legumes, they will land on other plants, not a fun situation for gardeners.

If you find kudzu bugs, report them!  Use EDDMapS or the SEEDN app to report your find, and don't forget to include a picture of what you found.

Keep an eye out for them and remember, don't squish them, they're STINKBUGS!


For more on the appearance of Kudzu bugs this year: Room to Grow: Kudzu bugs making their spring appearance
BugwoodWiki article: Megacopta cribraria
Images: kudzu bug
Current Distribution Map

Tell us what you need from extension in the south!!!

The Southern IPM Center wants to know what people consider a proirity for extension. If you are a person managing pests and you know the one thing that if extension put out would solve one of the biggest problems in your industry, then this survey is for you.

The Southern Region IPM Center has a relatively small pool of funds available, so we hope, with your help, to identify a "short list" of projects that will optimize delivery of positive impacts. You can access the survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/93MLD5Q.

The survey is fairly short. You will be asked to describe one or two situations in which pest management could be improved if only the managers were better-informed or educated about a new method or tactic. We welcome responses about either agricultural or non-agricultural settings. Responses are anonymous, but the survey does include a few questions about your interest in IPM.

We expect to keep this survey open for approximately two weeks after which responses will be analyzed and results made public. The Southern IPM Center will use results to inform our own funding program. We and our partners may use the information in other ways, including prioritization of future projects.

At the end of the survey, you will have the opportunity to sign up for SIPMC's mailing list, as well as subscribe to blogs, Twitter feed and Facebook. You must already have an account with Twitter to follow the Twitter feed.

If you have questions about the survey, please direct them to Jim VanKirk at jim@sripmc.org, 919-513-8179, or Rosemary Hallberg at rhallberg@sripmc.org or 919-513-8182.

Your participation in this survey will help us focus our priorities for our next RFA and fund projects that will help us generate big impacts.

Please forward this e-mail to anyone that you think would have an interest in participating in the survey, especially Extension agents and other IPM professionals in your state.

New guide for dealing with kudzu bug in soybean

Soybean growers in the south have had to find effective ways to control kudzu bug. Fortunately, the United Soybean Board has worked with researchers at Clemson University, North Carolina State University, and University of Georgia to release a new guide for growers dealing with this pest.

The guide includes information on how to identify the different life stages of the pest, where it can be found, how it lives, and current management practices for trying to manage this new invader. You can find a link to it here or on our page for growers.

Kudzu Bug on the Move and Becoming Nuisance!!

Kudzu bugs congregating on porch in North Carolina

Cooler temperatures signal emergence of kudzu bug adults from their preferred plant hosts in search of sites to spend the winter months. Unfortunately, this is often inside of houses! North Carolina homeowners are reporting high numbers on homes this week. Their more southern neighbors might expect the same within a matter of days or weeks as temperatures cool and host plants senesce.

Dan Suiter and Wayne Gardner have just released a new alert for homeowners dealing with these invasions.

Kudzu Bug Discovered in Vicksburg, Mississippi

Wayne Gardner reports that kudzu bugs were found in Vicksburg (Warren County), Mississippi, on July 13th. Until this discovery, the insect was reported as far west as Escambia County, Alabama. The "jump" of the insect across the state of Mississippi was not a total surprise to entomologists largely because of its ability to hitchhike on vehicles. Audrey Harrison, a former graduate student at Clemson University, was first to recognize adults on a vehicle and nearby buildings at the Vicksburg location less than a mile from Interstate 20. Tom Allen, Mississippi State Extension Pathologist, visited that and another site on Saturday, July 14th, and found numerous adults and nymphs in kudzu at both locations. Based upon experience with the population dynamics of this insect, Gardner noted that the insect likely invaded the area earlier than this spring. Monitor the spread of this pest at Kudzubug.org.  Full Story

Kudzu bug website launched!

Kudzu bug (Megacopta cribraria) has spread widely across the southeast and has been causing problems in soybean.  Researchers have been learning many new things about this pest.  They have helped to create a new website to let you know the know the latest information.  The site will get new updates as researchers publish new discoveries, post inseason updates, or update the known distribution of this pest.  You can also help by reporting new infestations of kudzu bugs either throught the website of the smartphone apps.  Visit the site at www.KudzuBug.org

Invasive Species Alert - Kudzu Bug Spreading Across the South

In an article from Georgia FACES, UGA Entomologist Wayne Gardner said, “The bug can now be found in 143 Georgia counties, all South Carolina counties, 42 North Carolina counties and 5 Alabama counties.” Read this article.

Adult Megacopta cribraria and eggs
photo by Phillip Roberts, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org

Megacopta cribraria eggs and nymphs
photo by Phillip Roberts, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org

Kudzu Bug as a Nuisance Pest

Megacopta cribraria or kudzu bug has been discovered on the exterior of houses in 60 north and central Georgia counties. These bugs have been described as nuisance pests. This article explains characteristics about the kudzu bug, why they are a nuisance, control procedures and has descriptive pictures. Click here to read the article.

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.

New Pest - Megacopta cribraria (Bean plataspid) found on kudzu in Georgia

USDA-ARS Systematic Entomology Laboratory confirms Megacopta cribraria (Fabricius), a Plataspidae bug with the common name, Bean plataspid, was found on kudzu plants and in large numbers on structures in Winder, Barrow County, Georgia. The specimens were submitted by the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Science.
This is a new US record.

Tthe species is known from China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and southward into southeast Asia and India. It feeds primarily on legumes such as garden beans (Phaseolus sp.) and soybeans.
For more information: http://www.caes.uga.edu/Applications/attachments/files/PestAlertForCounties.pdf and http://georgiafaces.caes.uga.edu/storypage.cfm?storyid=3868