How to Manage Pests

UC Pest Management Guidelines

DESCRIPTION OF THE PESTS

Adult stink bugs are shield shaped, from 0.38 to over 0.5 inch in length and are more than half as wide. Body color ranges from green to grayish brown to dark chocolate. Eggs are small, white to pinkish or greenish, barrel shaped, and are deposited on the foliage in clusters. Nymphs are oval to shield shaped and vary widely in color.

DAMAGE

Stink bugs have piercing-sucking mouthparts and cause damage similar to that of lygus bugs. During the early bud and bloom stages, stink bugs cause bud and flower loss, resulting in reduced yields. Stink bugs also feed on the young developing seed pods causing pod distortion, as well as pitting and blemishes on table market beans, and reduced germination in seed beans. Unlike lygus, stink bugs are capable of feeding on mature beans.

MANAGEMENT

Biological Control
A complex of native and introduced parasitic wasps attack stink bug egg masses in dry beans. Eggs turn black when parasitized by these wasps with up to 80% parasitism in some species such as the southern green stink bug. The incidence of parasitized eggs should be considered when making management decisions.

Organically Acceptable Methods
Biological control is organically acceptable.

Monitoring and Treatment Decisions
Start sweeping or beating for stink bugs at bloom and continue through pod fill. Sweeping will give a clue as to the presence of a stink bug population. If an occasional stink bug is picked up while sweeping for lygus, stink bugs should be more closely evaluated. However, beating or shaking the plants over pans, sleds, or sheets placed in furrows is a more effective survey method for stink bugs. Stink bugs may migrate into dry bean fields following harvest of nearby tomato fields. Treat if stink bugs are consistently found during checking and the field still contains small pods.

Common name		Amount/Acre**	R.E.I.+	P.H.I.+
(trade name)			(hours)	(days)
When choosing a pesticide, consider information relating to the impact on natural enemies and honey bees and environmental impact. Not all registered pesticides are listed. Always read label of product being used.
A.	LAMBDA-CYHALOTHRIN*
	(Warrior with Zeon)	3.84 oz	24	see comments
	MODE OF ACTION GROUP NUMBER1: 3
	COMMENTS: May cause outbreaks of mites. Preharvest interval (P.H.I.) is 7 days for succulent shelled or edible podded crops and 21 days for dried shelled crops.
B.	ZETA-CYPERMETHRIN*
	(Mustang)	4.3 oz	12	see comments
	MODE OF ACTION GROUP NUMBER1: 3
	COMMENTS: May cause outbreaks of mites. Preharvest interval (P.H.I.) is 1 day for succulent shelled or edible podded crops and 21 days for dried shelled crops.
**	Mix with sufficient water to obtain full coverage.
+	Restricted entry interval (R.E.I.) is the number of hours (unless otherwise noted) from treatment until the treated area can be safely entered without protective clothing. Preharvest interval (P.H.I.) is the number of days from treatment to harvest. In some cases the REI exceeds the PHI. The longer of two intervals is the minimum time that must elapse before harvest.
*	Permit required from county agricultural commissioner for purchase or use.
1	Rotate chemicals with a different mode-of-action Group number, and do not use products with the same mode-of-action Group number more than twice per season to help prevent the development of resistance. For example, the organophosphates have a Group number of 1B; chemicals with a 1B Group number should be alternated with chemicals that have a Group number other than 1B. Mode of action Group numbers are assigned by IRAC (Insecticide Resistance Action Committee). For additional information, see their Web site at http://www.irac-online.org/.

PUBLICATION

UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines: Dry Beans
UC ANR Publication 3446
Insects and Mites
L. D. Godfrey, Entomology, UC Davis
R. F. Long, UC Cooperative Extension, Yolo County

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