BATON ROUGE (AP) — A bug that likes to munch on soybean stems — first spotted in northeast Louisiana — has entered the Baton Rouge area.
According to the LSU AgCenter, The Advocate reports the kudzu bug has been found in East Baton Rouge, West Feliciana, Tangipahoa and Washington parishes, and in Concordia and West Carroll parishes since March.
LSU AgCenter entomologist Jeff Davis says the pest is capable of reducing yields by about 20 percent. He says chemicals used to control stinkbugs and other pests also can control the kudzu bug.
The pest originated in Asia and has been on a westward course across the U.S. since first spotted in Georgia in 2009.
The kudzu bug is now known also to be in Kentucky, Tennessee, North and South Carolina, Alabama and Mississippi.
