Soybean Growers Should Not Forget About Red Banded Stink Bugs

By Don Molino, The Voice of Louisiana Agriculture Radio Network

LSU AgCenter Soybean Specialist Dr. Todd Spivey is reminding growers red banded stink bugs still have to be monitored closely, even with harvest underway.

“LSU AgCenter entomologists recommend the control of threshold populations until the beans are out of the field,” said Spivey.  “This means producers could—and most likely should—include an insecticide in their harvest aid applications.  But we have to pay close attention to the labels on these insecticides as well.”

Acephate is a common recommendation for red banded stink bug control.  But there is a limit as to how much can be applied per year.  In Louisiana, the limit is two pounds.

“Another option would be Indigo, a premix product. But with that, the pre-harvest interval is 30 days. So that would extend the time from your application to harvest an extra two weeks, compared to Gromoxone alone,” reports Spivey.