Dec 10, 2013
In the last post I described some experiments I was conducting to determine if the redshouldered stink bug could be the cause of some "mysterious" cases of pecky rice. The result is clear: when caged on heading rice plants, this stink bug can definitively feed on developing kernels and cause peck.
Does this mean this insect is a pest of rice? NO. The redshouldered stink bug has been rarely found feeding on rice. This may explain some cases of pecky rice, but the redshouldered stink bug is not common in rice fields.
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