Identification of the stink bug complex in corn within two geographical regions of North Carolina

Euschistus servus (Say) is a polyphagous pest that can damage crops such as corn, soybean, and cotton in the southeastern United States. Although we can predict E. servus movement within and among crops, predicting where this pest will emerge during the early season remains difficult. Additionally, efforts by corn growers to mitigate damage by E. servus are hampered by field differences in corn phenology, which leads to difficulties in scouting and ineffective insecticide applications. This study hopes to identify the temporal colonization patterns of E. servus, and other stink bugs Nezara viridula (L.), and Chinavia hilaris (Say) in early season corn crops across differing developmental stages. Identifying this pattern could increase predictive power, improve scouting, and maximize management via effectual insecticide application. Effective treatment of stink bugs at economic damaging levels leads to an increase in overall yields and may mitigate the threat to subsequent crops. Fields, each with ten sample points of 80 corn, were surveyed over a period of two years for the presence of stink bugs across the Blacklands and Central Coastal Plains in North Carolina. The sample points were established along field edges to increase the likelihood of identifying the date of initial infestation; furthermore, stink bugs normally aggregate along field edges prior to moving into other crops. Ultimately, the goal of this study is to provide growers greater control over a stink bug complex in corn by identifying time periods in which scouting would lead to the discovery of a potentially damaging stink bug population.