Thread: Kudzu Bugs

Is anyone else down here noticing an invasion of these guys already? The screen door was covered in them two days ago. I was hoping the insane winter would kill off a lot of pests. I hadn't seen them until last year and now they seem like every white colored surface in Foley is covered in them.

Haven't noticed them myself, not down on the coast or up in Clarke County. I see the henbit is blooming well on the roadsides (patches of little purple flowers) and the sparkleberry is blooming in the woods. Next will be redbuds and yellow jasmine, followed by the dogwood and all the other pretty spring stuff that we will be ignoring while hanging over the pier rail waiting for the fish to arrive.

I see you call them kudzu bugs. Does that mean they eat kudzu? If so, they should be declared a national treasure, but they need to learn to eat it faster.

That's really a bug? Can't say I've ever seen that particular critter. Kinda looks like a mini propane tank. I'll tell you what.

We have a bug up here in Wisconsin called the Asian Lady Beetle, not a Lady Bug but looks a lot like it. They enter into houses up here when the temps start to drop and they smell horrible if you kill them!

You guys probably have them down there as well...

Originally Posted by Haywire

Haven't noticed them myself, not down on the coast or up in Clarke County. I see the henbit is blooming well on the roadsides (patches of little purple flowers) and the sparkleberry is blooming in the woods. Next will be redbuds and yellow jasmine, followed by the dogwood and all the other pretty spring stuff that we will be ignoring while hanging over the pier rail waiting for the fish to arrive.

I see you call them kudzu bugs. Does that mean they eat kudzu? If so, they should be declared a national treasure, but they need to learn to eat it faster.

Apparently they do eat kudzu which would be a great thing, but after doing a little digging it appears they have a big appetite for soybeans and other crops as well. They've only been identified in the US since 2009 apparently and their presence in both Baldwin and Mobile Counties have been confirmed by extension agencies. They stink when you smash them so I'm gonna use the wife's vacuum cleaner to get them up from now on. I was just curious to see if anyone closer to the beach than us has seen them yet. They're just annoying more than anything.

Strange looking critter there Dutch, surprisingly hadn't seen them yet at my place. You'd think with the winter we've had that the bugs n stuff wouldn't be bad yet, wrong!!! We had a few Mosquitos flying around yesterday while we enjoyed the warm afternoon.

Originally Posted by Dutch

I was just curious to see if anyone closer to the beach than us has seen them yet.

I'm outside a lot and have never seen such a critter here around Bon Secour.
Thinkin I might come up to Foley and try to find me some.

They might be a killer new sheepshead bait. Kinda look like a puffed up fidler with a faint resemblence of a sandflea. ;-)

Yer not pullin our leg are you, Dutch?

From wikipedia - i Think its right it looks like the same kind of bug -
Megacopta cribraria, also called the bean plataspid, kudzu bug, kudzu beetle, globular stink bug or lablab bug, is a shield bug native to India and China, where it is an agricultural pest oflablab beans and other legumes.^[1] The bug, while harmless to houseplants and people, often enters houses. It is attracted to white surfaces such as the walls of houses or white vehicles, where large numbers of the insects congregate. As a defense mechanism, they will spray a foul smelling liquid. Aside from smelling foul, the liquid also creates a burning sensation and leaves a red welt on bare skin.^[2]

See them all the time up in here in wetumpka/montgomery area. They aren't as big as they look, the ones I've seen are about the size of a lady bug maybe a littler bigger/smaller.