Evaluation of treatment thresholds for management of Megacopta cribraria (Hemiptera: Plataspidae) in soybean

Since its initial discovery in Georgia in fall of 2009, the “kudzu bug” Megacopta cribraria (Fabricius) has expanded rapidly throughout much of the southeastern United States.  This insect readily uses soybean as both a feeding and reproductive host and has been shown to significantly reduce soybean yields at high densities. It is imperative to develop scientifically validated management recommendations for this insect as it continues to expand its range. We repeated a common experimental protocol 13 times in South Carolina, Georgia, and North Carolina from 2011-2013 in which threshold levels based on sweep net sampling of adults and nymphs of M. cribraria in soybean were evaluated. Our findings suggest that a single, well-timed insecticide application will prevent soybean yield loss due to feeding by M. cribraria in most cases.