Rice Stink Bug Update

As some of the rice in Mississippi is starting to approach head emergence within the next few weeks, I wanted to give a brief update on rice stink bug populations that we are seeing across the Delta.  At this point in the season, rice stink bug densities appear to be considerably lower than they were last year at this time. Mr. George Awuni, one of our graduate students, is doing a survey of rice stink bug on wild grasses along the roadsides and ditch banks.  Last year at this time, the most common rice stink bug hosts were crabgrass and barnyardgrass.  In last years surveys, the average numbers of rice stink bugs per ten sweeps was 33.5 on crabgrass and 33.6 barnyardgrass during the week of June 15, 2011. 

This year, those same grasses are the most common hosts, but densities of stink bugs are a lot lower.  The numbers he saw this week averaged 10.7 per 10 sweeps on crabgrass and 3.9 per 10 sweeps on barnyardgrass. The highest numbers of nymphs were found on crabgrass.  Although the numbers are considerably lower this year compared to last year, there are still enough around on wild hosts and they can blow up to damaging levels fairly quick.  As the crop gets closer to head emergence, keep a close watch on heading grasses around field edges.  We will be sampling every week and if we start to see numbers increase, I will provide another update.