Here Comes Da Bug

Tuesday Jun 4th, 2013 27 Views Fruit Grower Report

Here Come Da Bug. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

The 2013 cherry crop is right around the corner as well as pears, apples, apricots and more...and that means orchardists are keeping a watchful eye on their crops for signs of pests like the brown marmorated stink bug. The bug was accidentally introduced in the U.S. back in 1998 for either China or Japan and has a fondness for just about anything that grows. Over the past 10-years - Iowa State University Associate Professor of Entomology Matt O’Neal says it has exploded in abundance along the Northeastern United States.

O’NEAL: The stink bug will affect yield, it’ll affect quality and it’ll affect the capacity for farmers to harvest where there is large populations of brown marmorated stink bugs.

Right now - O’Neal says farmers should just be keeping an eye out for the brown marmorated stink bug in all kinds of crops.

O’NEAL: If it starts to establish and build up in numbers there could be issues for farmers in the future. And in places where stink bugs are common insecticides are recommended, foliar insecticides. Not the seed treatments because the bugs show up late in the season after the seed treatments are no longer effective.

If you suspect seeing a brown marmorated stink bug, contact your local county extension office.

That’s today’s Fruit Grower Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.