Several species of stink bugs including the rice stink bug and brown stink bug will attack sorghum during grain fill. Although treatment is only occasionally needed, feeding can affect grain quality and yield. Sorghum is most susceptible when the grain is in the milk and soft dough stage.
Visually examine at least 50 heads in throughout the field for adult and immature stink bugs, or sets of 10 heads can be briskly shaken into a bucket or sweep net to check for insects.
Treat when an average of five or more stink bugs per head is found from flowering to soft dough. When sorghum reaches hard dough stage, treat when an average of 16 or more stink bugs is found per head.
Management options
| Insecticide (Trade Names) for STINK BUGS | Lb Active Ingredient per Acre | Amount Formulation per Acre | Performance Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| carbaryl (Sevin 80S) | 1.2 - 2 | 1.5 - 2.5 lb | 5 |
| carbaryl (Sevin XLR 4) | 1 - 2 | 38 - 64 oz | 5 |
| chlorpyrifos, γ-cyhalothrin (Cobalt) | See label | 16 - 38 oz | 7 |
| chlorpyrifos, Z-cypermethrin (Stallion) | See label | 5 - 11.75 oz | 7 |
| β-cyfluthrin (Baythroid XL 1) | 0.01 - 0.02 | 1.3 - 2.8 oz | 7 |
| γ-cyhalothrin (Declare 1.25) | 0.01 - 0.015 | 1.02 - 1.54 oz | 7 |
| λ-cyhalothrin (Warrior II 2.08) | 0.02 - 0.03 | 1.23 - 1.85 oz | 7 |
| Z-cypermethrin (Mustang Max 0.8) | 0.01 - 0.025 | 1.76 - 4 oz | 7 |