Chinch bug nymphs and shield bugs in rice
| | Chinch bug nymph (yellow arrow) on a dirt clod. This nymph was found near the roots of a rice plant. Note the bright orange color and the tan band running around the body. |
| | | Scutelleridae, shield bug, adults on a rice plant. It was common to find more than ten adults and nymphs on a single rice seedling. |
| | | Soybean stubble in the field. Rice was drill-seeded directly into this stubble. This large amount of debris may have contributed to Scutelleridae and chinch bugs being attracted to the rice seedlings. Or they may have overwintered in the stubble and weeds. |
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On April 23, Dr. Ronnie Levy (county agent, Acadia Parish) and I scouted a rice field that was reported to be infested with tiny, bright-orange insects on the roots of the rice seedlings. The field had been drill-seeded into soybean stubble. When we arrived we observed that there was a large amount of soybean stubble debris in the field. The rice was growing well and looked healthy. When we pulled up rice seedlings, there were tiny, bright orange specks running around on the roots. These were chinch bug nymphs. It is rare to catch them at such an early stage. I would say they were probably first instar nymphs newly emerged from eggs.
You can tell a young chinch bug nymph by the presence of a bright orange body with a tan band running around the body at the "waist." A 10X hand lens was required to notice this detail on these tiny first instar nymphs. We searched for chinch bug adults but did not find any in the field. It was 3:30 p.m. and temperatures were pretty warm, so they were probably hiding in cracks in the soil. We also noted the field was dry and the soil had cracked extensively.
We also observed some shiny black bugs in large numbers on the seedlings. It was hard to tell if they were causing damage to the foliage. These were identified as Hemipteran insects which belong to the family Scutelleridae. They are commonly called shield bugs.
We recommended flushing the field or applying a permanent flood. Very shortly after our visit, the field was flushed. Dr. Levy re-scouted the field today (5/02/08) and reported he could not find a single shield bug or chinch bug nymph. So it appears that flushing the field worked.
Be on the lookout for chinch bugs attacking rice, particularly if the rice is drilled into a stale seedbed and the conditions are dry. This case was interesting because the nymphs were not obvious above the soil. If you suspect that insects are damaging your rice crop, please contact your county agent for control recommendations.
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| Last Updated: 4/24/2009 7:30:52 AM |
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