The Bug That's Eating the South

Kudzu. Any American southerners are very familiar with this beautiful yet vicious vine. It's known as "the plant that ate the South".

Yesterday afternoon my grandfather came over to sit on the porch and talk about things, he's old and has been in this town his entire life. He usually ends up telling me about the way things used to be and I love hearing him talk, even though sometimes he forgets I wasn't alive when any of this stuff happened.

Well yesterday he said something that piqued my interest. We were talking about the corn crops here and how incredibly large they are for this time of year. That saying "knee high by July" and you have a good crop? Yeah, the corn is over head high and it's June. He started telling me a story about how he was climbing a telephone
pole (used to work for the phone company) that was covered in Kudzu and something about thinking if he fell he would fall into a pit of snakes. I don't always understand him, he doesn't have many teeth left.

"That damn bug, it's destroying the farmers". I tuned back in to what he was saying "What bug?" I asked. He proceeded to tell me that "they" released a bug in the South to eat the Kudzu, but come to find out the bug likes Soy Beans better and is eating all the crops. He also said they can't find a way to kill it.

Of course my next question was "Who are 'They'?"

"Well the Government of course"

We chatted a while longer, then I started to look into things.

Megacopta cribrari, as this member of the stinkbug family is known in scientific circles, was first identified near Atlanta in late October 2009. Since then, it has spread to most of Georgia and North Carolina, all of South Carolina, and several counties in Alabama.And it shows no signs of stopping. Kudzu and soybeans are both legumes. The bug — also known as the bean plataspid — breeds and feeds in the kudzu patches until soybean planting time, then crosses over to continue the moveable feast, says Tracie Jenkins, a plant geneticist at the University of Georgia.

Source

It's not exactly NEW information, this article was written in October of 2011, but I couldn't find anything on it in the search function.I've tried to find out information about "where" this bug came from, and ran across a bunch of "we don't knows" and this

Like our other favorite stink bug, the kudzu bug was introduced from Asia. It is very distinctive looking. It is about the size of a pea (1/6”- ¼”), olive green with brown speckles and flat across the back end. They are “true bugs” and have piercing-sucking mouthparts.

Source

Maybe the worst news: They first turned up in Atlanta in 2009, and DNA testing in both states indicates that all these millions of kudzu bugs came from a single female, said entomologist Merle Shepard.

Source

I can tell you personally I've seen these but didn't know what they were. I assumed they were some sort of ladybug but they don't look like ladybugs. They have caused me to freak out a couple of times when landing on my son because they also look like ticks. They are EVERYWHERE, and to be honest, I havn't seen a "true" ladybug in a long time.

Thoughts? Anyone else know any information about this?

Another lovely "gift " from China.
They showed in Virginia 2 years ago and they are everywhere. They like to get inside roofs and walls to lay their eggs and overwinter. Having no natural enemies these things are eating crops and orchards too.
They are a disaster and wouldn't surprise me to find that someone like the USDA had imported them to fight kudzu.
Me, I'd rather keep the kudzu.

I think Kudzu is beautiful, I understand that it chokes the life out of everything it touches but geez, around here soy beans are big business and I had no idea this was happening. I stayed in NC for a bit with some friends and these things would just swarm in the corners of their ceilings in every room, hundreds of them. They couldn't get rid of them, it was so odd.

I don't know anything about this bug but I do know that the government brought buffalo gnats into to Oklahoma to fight the boll weevils. Seems they like people more. A lot of elderly people were hospitalized from the bites of the gnats.

Those gnats are now in SE TX. I can't be outside at dusk as they eat me alive. The bites leave quarter size whelps on me.

Given that, it would not surprise me at all if the government released this bug as well.

I also saw a documentary on the government bringing in a wasp from South America to fight fire ants. Wonder how long it will be before that backfires. The wasp attacks the ant and lays eggs in its brain. The larvae then eats the ants brain until it is dead.

The skeeters are worse this year too, and they seem to be immune to bug spray. I get eaten alive through my clothing, I've tried four different kinds of bug spray to no avail.

When I purchased my current home, I removed 150 industrial size garbage bags of kudzu from one oak tree. It took weeks. When I started cutting into it, I found 15 scrub palms totally covered. I don't like the stuff much. Never had any bugs from it tho. Weed killer will kill it if you start early enough. The only way to keep it off the trees is to cut it close to the ground and let it die above. Dig up the taters and don't let it get started again. Now skeeters is a different thing altogether around here.

What a horrid bug-What is the reason they stink so bad-is it to deter predators from eating them or something else?

We have them in Europe,since 2007 I think,but not as bad as you guys in the USA.
I wonder why they have taken hold so bad in the US-do they prefer GMO's or what?

It's like how the Sparrow came to America....was introduced to eat bugs...it's a seed eater..go figure...

Here in the North West we have a like problem with the Himalayan blackberry. It was brought to America in the 1800s as a crop and has just blanketed the NW in a nasty overgrowth of stickers.

reply to post by Silcone Synapse


Well the kudzu keeps their numbers up until the soybeans are ready, and then there are massive numbers to eat them. Do you guys have a kudzu problem in Europe as well? If not that could explain why we have it worse.

reply to post by Silcone Synapse


I would imagine that they like they like the nice southern swampy climate as many bugs do. The south isn't a place for the the live and let live attitude I had for bugs when I lived in Michigan.

I did a speech in college about Kudzu, here are some quick facts for your thread

The Kudzu root can weigh up to 500lbs and can be as big as a person
It's often called the foot-a-night plant because it literally can grow a foot in one day under good conditions
Kudzu is edible! There's the solution lets make use of it!

Could you imagine what it would be like if we never brought any foreign animals or insects here? It would probably be a lot more enjoyable to go for a walk in the woods. Those ladybugs (what we call them here in the north) are terrible. I've devoloped an allergic reaction to them because they would invade in the fall, covering the entire south side of the house, which happens to be where the door is. I mean thousands of them. They would get into everything. Interestingly enough, there seem to be less of them on the north, east and west sides of the house.

Originally posted by ValentineWiggin
The skeeters are worse this year too, and they seem to be immune to bug spray. I get eaten alive through my clothing, I've tried four different kinds of bug spray to no avail.

Yup, since it didn't get cold enough during our tiny winter lol everything is going to be worse, heat+butt loads of insects+allergies= one miserable summer.

reply to post by MrSandman


You mean if the Europeans never stepped foot here in the first place ? You do know that is when the land was first cursed.

Another reason the united states view on Agriculture techniques need to change...adapt....or we will starve. Geodesic biodomes with a closed loop, solar powered aquaponic system is the only thing that makes sense anymore. Minimal exposure to pests, disease, gmos flying around....90% less freshwater consumption, plus a sustainable way to bring back dwindling fresh water aquaculure. we can do this

-Foo

reply to post by ValentineWiggin


If it's a low mosquito area, soap made with tea tree oil keeps them away.

reply to post by ValentineWiggin

He usually ends up telling me about the way things used to be and I love hearing him talk,

WOW. Wish I had me a gramps like that. Elders know so much and we dismiss them as old foagies too much.

Seems we may be starting to pay the price of messing with Mother Nature.
Monsanto is doing it now on a corporate level.

Koyannisqatsi

reply to post by ValentineWiggin


Great Thread. A stern reminder to those involved, that biological controls can be Pandoras Box.
Another result of reckless global trade, poor management, and lack of foresight.
The is an Asian Stinkbug that has migrated to the Norheast. It eats everything. Including Tomatoes.

Happy Happy Joy Joy

S&F to you

reply to post by ValentineWiggin

I wondered what these buggers looked like so I googled em...
Up close and personal. Plus that Kudzu stuff...

megacopta cribrari

reply to post by MrSandman


The bugs and the door ar on the same side of the house for the same reason .......it faces the sun most......