Got the Stink?

Stink Bugs are among us, and they can do some damage if the population gets high enough.

In corn they can damage the ears. Begin scouting corn crops looking to find stink bugs.

From David Buntin, UGA Extension Entomologist:
http://www.caes.uga.edu/commodities/fieldcrops/gagrains/documents/Buntin_InsectControlinFieldCorn.pdf
"Ear Formation, Tasseling/Silking, and Kernel-fill Stages "
Stink bugs can cause feeding damage to small developing ears before silking. This type of feeding injury usually deforms ears into a C or boomerang shape. These ears fail to develop properly and are more susceptible to infection by corn smut fungus. Treat during the ear elongation / vegetative tassel stage (stage VT) if 1 stink bug per 2 plants is present. During pollination to blister stages (R1 – R3), stink bugs feed through the husk and damage individual kernels. Control is warranted if populations reach 1 bug per plant. Use pyrethroid insecticides if green stink bugs are prevalent. If brown stink bugs are prevalent, use methyl parathion before pollen shed (methyl parathion cannot be used during pollen shed). During pollen shed, high rates of bifenthrin or beta-cyfluthrin will provide about 75-90% control of brown stink bugs.