When to Treat Kudzu Bugs in Soybeans

— Written By
en Español / em Português
Español

El inglés es el idioma de control de esta página. En la medida en que haya algún conflicto entre la traducción al inglés y la traducción, el inglés prevalece.

Al hacer clic en el enlace de traducción se activa un servicio de traducción gratuito para convertir la página al español. Al igual que con cualquier traducción por Internet, la conversión no es sensible al contexto y puede que no traduzca el texto en su significado original. NC State Extension no garantiza la exactitud del texto traducido. Por favor, tenga en cuenta que algunas aplicaciones y/o servicios pueden no funcionar como se espera cuando se traducen.


Português

Inglês é o idioma de controle desta página. Na medida que haja algum conflito entre o texto original em Inglês e a tradução, o Inglês prevalece.

Ao clicar no link de tradução, um serviço gratuito de tradução será ativado para converter a página para o Português. Como em qualquer tradução pela internet, a conversão não é sensivel ao contexto e pode não ocorrer a tradução para o significado orginal. O serviço de Extensão da Carolina do Norte (NC State Extension) não garante a exatidão do texto traduzido. Por favor, observe que algumas funções ou serviços podem não funcionar como esperado após a tradução.


English

English is the controlling language of this page. To the extent there is any conflict between the English text and the translation, English controls.

Clicking on the translation link activates a free translation service to convert the page to Spanish. As with any Internet translation, the conversion is not context-sensitive and may not translate the text to its original meaning. NC State Extension does not guarantee the accuracy of the translated text. Please note that some applications and/or services may not function as expected when translated.

Collapse ▲

Kudzu bugs have been a no-show since 2013, but are widespread at low levels this year. A lot of folks are wondering if they should treat, justifiably so, since our fields with the highest populations are a borderline threshold level (one nymph per swoosh of the net).

We did a series of trials across GA, NC, and SC from 2011 to 2013 protecting soybeans from kudzu bugs from R2, R2 + two weeks, R2 + 4 weeks, R2 + 6 weeks and R2 + 8 weeks. Some locations had very little pressure, while other trials had lots of pressure. From these trials, we confirmed our recommendation to treat at one nymph per swoosh of the net. However, this threshold works best when fields are treated during the most sensitive stages to kudzu bug (R2 to R5). We also got our greatest yield responses (obviously) when population levels soared. For example, in one South Carolina trial, adult levels reached 20 per swoosh of the net by R7 (from nymphs that became adults).

Based on this information, growers will get the most bang for their buck the earlier they treat, but ONLY if populations hit threshold. In our trial, sub-threshold sprays did not provide a return. Therefore, growers should treat if they hit one nymph per swoosh of the net until R6. Once reaching R6, growers can relax the threshold greatly and tolerate more kudzu bugs. I’d be hard-pressed to recommend a number without more information, but consider the cost of the spray, including drive-down loss over the beans, and yield potential. Check fields to see if any kudzu bugs are infected with a fungus. This fungus can provide 50-100% control and if it’s present, consider saving the spray.

Image of Kudzu bugs

Kudzu bugs killed by a fungus (Beauveria bassiana). Note the white sporulation from the insect bodies that is characteristic of this fungus.