Rice Stink Bug Update: June 19,2015

As some of the earliest planted rice is getting close to heading, it is time to start thinking about rice stink bug. We have been sweeping headed grass around the Delta for the past two weeks to determine what kind of populations are around. Based on those samples, I would characterize the potential for a significant infestation as moderate. In general, we have been averaging around 3-8 rice stink bugs per 10 sweeps around the Delta, but have hit some “hot spots” where we had up to 40 per 10 sweeps. Again, these types of counts have only been on grasses along roadsides and ditches at this point.
Rice stink bug prefers rice over other grasses, so the rice that heads first in an area tends to have the greatest densities. This occurs because there is less heading rice available and they become concentrated in those fields that head first. As more rice heads, they tend to become more scattered and diluted across the landscape.

Some thing to do now that may help would include mowing heading grasses within close proximity to rice that is getting close to panicle emergence. Once the rice is in the boot stage, stink bugs will begin to congregate on grasses along field edges. It is worth taking a few sweeps along these edges to determine what the population is like around individual fields.