BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU AgCenter entomologists have confirmed the arrival of the kudzu bug in a soybean field in Madison Parish.
The first kudzu bug in Louisiana was found by crop consultant Lee Oliver and was confirmed by LSU AgCenter area agent Sebe Brown near Mound.
The kudzu bug, or bean plataspid is a small, oval-shaped insect native to India and China. It was first discovered in Vicksburg, Miss., in 2012.
Brown said the pests are believed to have moved across the Mississippi River into Louisiana by vehicle traffic.
In addition to Mississippi, this pest has been found in North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama.
This pest is known to stress soybean plants by using its piercing/sucking mouthparts to extract plant fluids.
Preliminary data from the University of Georgia show that heavy infestations of the kudzu bug will cause average yield losses of 18-20 percent, Brown said.
The good news for growers is the same chemicals used to control stinkbugs have been shown to be effective on the kudzu bugs as well.
However, Brown said, there's no need to start spraying until the insect numbers are high enough to warrant it.
Even though the insect has piercing/sucking mouthparts, it is primarily a stem and foliage feeder and doesn't feed on the pods.
Research from the University of Georgia also found that kudzu bugs are more attracted to early-planted soybeans with more damage seen during dry conditions.
The kudzu bugs are known to take approximately six weeks to complete one generation on the kudzu plant and often complete a second generation on soybeans, Brown said.