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Story in Brief

The kudzu bug is an invasive and economic pest of soybean in Georgia and the Southeast. Since its initial discovery in nine northeastern Georgia counties during 2009, kudzu bugs have rapidly spread across the Southeast infesting 12 states and the District of Columbia. From 2010 through 2013, kudzu bug populations were very high in kudzu and soybean, which are the primary reproductive hosts of kudzu bugs. One possible explanation of this decline was the detection and establishment of the kudzu bug egg parasitoid Paratelenomus saccharalis in Georgia during 2013. To evaluate the relevance of P. saccharalis for Georgia soybean growers and better understand its biology, the UGA Extension agent collected kudzu bug egg masses from kudzu in Montgomery County and soybean in Wheeler County weekly. This research provided the first look at kudzu bug parasitism in the Southeast. With past yield losses of 20 to 60 percent in soybean, the introduction of this natural predator is pivotal in the control of this economic pest. The data demonstrates that egg parasitism by P. saccharalis is significantly impacting overall kudzu bug populations.

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