IN YOUR ORCHARD
TIME TO CONSIDER
It is estimated that insects originated 480 million years ago, and I’m sure they are still just as much of a pain today as they were back then. Growers battle insects each year, but the last two years have been extremely difficult thanks to these prehistoric creatures. Almond growers battle the typical culprits like navel orangeworm , mites and ants each year, but here at Blue Diamond, we have noticed a frightening trend in reject data from a particular group of pests. Leaffooted bug and stink bugs have become a devastating pest throughout the California almond growing region and this article will focus on how to identify, target, and manage these pests. Lastly, I’ll dive into the carpophilus beetle and what we know about this pest so far.
Leaffooted bugs and stink bugs come from the same family of insects, called Hemiptera, which is just the scientific way of saying they are a piercing/ sucking insect. Both pests cause damage when they feed on maturing almonds with their needle-like mouth part, called the proboscis. They insert the mouth part into the nut and that damage can lead to the nut aborting, or if feeding is done later in the season, it may not abort but will leave a reject known as brown spot . How can you tell the difference between the pests ? Leaffooted bug ( Figure 1 ) is easy to identify since it has a small appendage on its hind leg that looks like…you guessed it, a leaf! There are three different species of leaffooted bug, but they all look relatively similar. Stink bugs
are another story. We have quite a few native stink bugs in California and not all cause damage. I am only going to talk about the species that cause problems for you as growers. Green stink bugs are a native species to California and look just like they sound ( Figure 2 ). The second, possibly more worrisome stink bug, is the invasive brown marmorated stink bug also known as BMSB . BMSB was first found in California in the mid- 2000s and has now been found in more than 16 different counties. BMSB looks similar to a native stink bug but has one very noticeable marker, two white bands on their antennae ( Figure 3 ). The damage caused by BMSB and green stink bug is very similar, and both will feed/sting a nut multiple times. BMSB can also be a nuisance for homeowners
where large populations of the pests will try to enter homes in the fall and winter months. Hopefully you are now confident in what these pests look like, but I am going to burst your bubble a bit. These pests are not easy to find in the field. For one, they camouflage perfectly with the almond trees, so you may walk right past them. Two, they hide really well! When I was working as a Pest Control Advisor, I found leaffooted bug in a grower’s field, mostly by luck, but it actively tried to hide from me. If I moved to the left it would move to the right, if I pulled the branch down it would try to move lower under the leaves. They work hard to not be seen. In most situations you’ll hear a leaffooted bug flying
Figure 1 courtesy of UC Davis IPM Figure 2 courtesy of UC Davis IPM Figure 3 courtesy of UC Davis IPM
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ALMOND FACTS
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