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Showing posts from October, 2011

Kudzu Bug - A Small, Brown, "Lady Bug" That Invades Homes and Gardens

Kudzu bugs clustered on wisteria. If you live in the south-eastern US you may have noticed a new insect this summer and fall (see photo): the insect is called the kudzu bug ( Megacopta cribraria ) and is characterized by - small, brownish/green in color shaped sort-of like a ladybug not seen prior to about 2 years ago invades homes in the fall congregates on garden plants, and especially, kudzu vine (For those that don't live in the southern US, kudzu is a highly invasive weedy vine, " the vine that ate the south !", that grows everywhere, on everything.) a new and important pest of soybean This true bug (Hemiptera)  resembles a ladybug (a cocinellid beetle ) in size and shape, but not color (see this page for a picture of a real ladybug/lady beetle). Also, you don't generally find ladybugs clustered together like you see in the photo. This a new "lady bug" has some unpleasant characteristics. (1) Feeds on and weakens garden plants as well a