Kudzu, aka “The Vine that Ate the South,” is another invasive import, but one that was intentionally introduced via official government agencies. By 1946, busy members of Kudzu Clubs and the CCC had planted 3 million acres with this Asian legume. Now kudzu is one of our most serious invasive species with its ability to grow up to a foot a day. The kudzu bug is the first natural pest it has faced here in North America, and it may slow its spread slightly.
What has agronomists worried is the insects’ liking for soybeans. At the moment, their feeding isn’t dramatically reducing yields but they certainly aren’t helping the crop, either. Another concern is that they will develop a taste for other legumes, especially peanuts. (Their fondness for wisteria, almost all of which is also an exotic invasive, isn’t causing any sleepless nights.)
Well, what the heck, you’re thinking; I don’t grow soybeans or peanuts. But these fellows are smart as the dickens, and when cold weather comes, look for ways to spend the winter in your heated house. People with light-colored wood or siding are calling us with reports of thousands of these insects congregated on their homes. Many will find cracks and voids that give them entry, following the overwintering habits of the Multicolored Asian Ladybeetle.
The good news is they cluster together in corners. The bad news is they are indeed stinkbugs and give off a foul smell when bothered. So don’t try to sweep them. Instead get the vacuum cleaner out (I hope you have one with a hose) and suck those critters up. Then you have to change the bag (or empty the hopper) and discard it. If you just put the machine in the closet, the insects will march down the tube and make their escape back into the bedroom.
The other good news is that the kudzu bug is not a reflex bleeder. The Multicolored Asian Ladybeetle, in addition to being stinky, exudes a red, staining, liquid when she gets vexed. Red imported fire ants, wooly adelgids, imported ambrosia beetles, Multicolored Asian ladybeetles, and now kudzu bugs have made their way to our shores. Thomas Friedman sure nailed it when he said the world is flat.
Amanda McNulty is an associate extension agent for the Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service and is a co-host of “Making It Grow” broadcast weekly on ETV television stations. Website: www.clemson.edu /extension/hgic/
Source:
No comments:
Post a Comment