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LinkedInPosts Tagged: Bagrada bug
Invasive pests of concern for California’s urban agriculture systems
Every year, California receives, on average, six new exotic invasive pests of concern; that's about...
Bagrada bug continues to spread in California
The Bagrada bug (Bagrada hilaris) is an invasive stink bug insect that was first reported in 2008...
Damage to carrots from Bagrada bug feeding. (Photo by Rick Machado, Menifee)
Bagrada bug feeding damage to tomatoes. (Photo by Rick Machado, Menifee)
Bagrada bug feeding damage to tomatoes. (Photo by Jennifer Evangelista, San Luis Obispo)
Backyard corn damaged by Bagrada bugs. (Photo by Larry Adcock, Arroyo Grande)
Bagrada bugs on strawberry foliage. Not seen to cause any feeding damage. (Photo by Jennifer Evangelista, San Luis Obispo)
Stippling and eventual necrosis of damaged tissue in chiko burdock. (Photo by Don DeLano, Pomona)
Bagrada bug links
Bagrada bug is not necessarily a pest of strawberry or caneberry, but I get a lot of questions about it. It's good to be familiar with the basics at least.
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74166.html
And some blog posts by colleagues Joseph and Dara
//ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=14915
//ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=11632
http://westernfarmpress.com/vegetables/bagrada-bug-marching-north-california-crops
Bagrada bugs on horseradish
A disheartening new pest invades California vegetable gardens
“Citizen scientists have been instrumental in reporting the occurrence of bagrada in various counties and are helping map its current distribution,” said Surendra Dara, UC Cooperative Extension advisor in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. “This is a very serious pest. It is wiping out gardens, and is of great concern for small-scale and organic growers.”
Bagrada bugs are major pests of cruciferous vegetables, such as cabbage, kale, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and broccoli, but they don't appear to be picky eaters. They have been known to feed on a wide variety of garden vegetables in California, including green beans, cantaloupe, corn, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes and sunflower. Even landscape plants are not immune. Bagrada bugs have been found feeding on ornamental plants in the mustard family, like sweet alyssum, stock and candytuft.
Dara said scientists had hoped cold winter temperatures in northern counties of California would limit the bagrada's northward march, but that hasn't been the case so far.
“Bagrada bugs can survive the winter or cold nights by entering the top layer of the soil around crops,” he said. "They start appearing again in early spring and move from weeds to young vegetables."
For more information on bagrada bugs, see the Pest Note produced by the UC Integrated Pest Management Program. In addition, Dara regularly posts bagrada bug updates on his blog, Strawberries and Vegetables.
Distribution of bagrada bug in California, September 2014.
Bagrada Bug Moving Northward
The Bagrada bug is a small, colorful stink bug that is becoming more common in California gardens...
The harlequin bug, a common garden pest, is similarly colored but has different markings and is 3 times larger than Bagrada bug.
Bagrada bugs and their damage on mustard greens.
