Early detection the best way to avoid total yield loss from red-banded stink bugs
Imagine going through months of planning and caring for your soybean fields but then not be able to harvest them. For fields infested with red-banded stink bugs, that nightmare could come true this fall.
Originally from South America, the red-banded stink bug has made its way north to Louisiana and the Mid-South region of the United States. It can cause up to as much as 90 percent yield loss. It is now one of the most prevalent stink bugs in the U.S., and is one of the most difficult insects to control. Unlike other stink bugs that prefer cold weather, the red-banded stink bug likes warmer weather.
Identified by its namesake red band, they usually arrive on fields as pods are starting to form in the R3-R4 growth stages and cause the most damage by feeding on the pods. Once infected, a plant will stay green, and never mature, making the soybeans impossible to harvest. In some cases, these insects cause total field loss.
Jeff Davis, associate professor of entomology at Louisiana State University, says there are several management practices you can use to control this pest.
1. Resistant varieties. Some commercial soybean varieties exhibit host-plant resistance to the red-banded stink bug. Contact the LSU Ag Center about them and research your options if you know the pest will be a concern in your area.
2. Cultural management practices. Stink bugs colonize in field edges, so planting a trap crop on the borders can help prevent complete infestation. Planting an earlier-maturing variety on field edges will attract and keep stink bugs there.
3. Scout early and often . If you know the pest is in your area, talk to your crop consultant early in the season to understand economic thresholds. Monitor your fields, and apply insecticides as soon as the pest reaches that threshold. Red-banded stink bugs are more tolerant of insecticides than other species, but if caught early, insecticides can still be effective. Once the insecticide has been applied, check your fields five days later to make sure it worked. Continue to watch your fields all the way through the R6-R7 growth stages, as populations can quickly return to an area.
4. Rotate insecticide chemistries . If you continue using the same insecticides again and again, the red-banded stink bug will eventually build up resistance and the product will become useless. Rotate chemistries and incorporate cultural practices into your integrated-pest-management plan for best control.
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