A few weeks ago, I visited a farm to help identify some insects. It was a rainy, windy day, but the insects in question were thriving on a row of turnips. Next to the turnips was a row of cabbage and next to the cabbage was a row of mustard greens. However, the perceived pests were confined to the turnips.
To accurately identify the insect, a sample was sent to the FDACS Division of Plant Industry in Gainesville. The specimen was identified as a false chinch bug (Nysius raphanus). I’m sure I’ve seen this pest before and just thought it was a little fly or gnat. False chinch bugs are common in drier regions of the country. This makes sense, because the weather had been dry for weeks up until the day I went out to the farm. These bugs are known to damage cabbage, celery, lettuce, mustard, and turnips. They also feed on cotton, oats, strawberries, and wheat. However, their damage is reported as infrequent on any crop. Host plants for nymph development include Virginia pepperweed, common spurge, and carpetweed.
Description
Adult false chinch bugs are pretty small with a length of about 1/8″. They have a similar appearance to chinch bugs (Blissus leucopterus), but are lighter in color and have entirely clear wings. Chinch bugs prefer to feed on grain and grass crops, while false chinch bugs predominately feed on broadleaf crops.
Damage
False chinch bugs feed in masses. They can quickly move from weeds to crop plants, but because of their small size may go unnoticed for some time. They also move from feeding to shelter and back to feeding in response to weather. Field edges are particularly vulnerable to false chinch bug infestation. They’ve also been known to vector disease in mustard crops.
Management
Yellow sticky traps can be used to monitor for false chinch bugs. An insecticide application is warranted if numbers are high during drought conditions. However, if rain is in the forecast it may be wise to delay application. A contact insecticide with a pyrethroid as the active ingredient is recommended for control. Sometimes treating only the borders of the field provides adequate control. As mentioned earlier, the false chinch bugs were found only feeding on the turnip crop. This suggests a trap crop of turnips could be utilized to help keep the pests from moving on to cash crops in the field.
False chinch bugs are not very common in our area, but it’s always a good idea to get an accurate identification on potential pests in the field before devising a control strategy. A lot of times these things just get taken care of on their own.
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