Identification and Control Methods of the Siberian Wheat Bug

Scientific name Aelia sibirica Reuter, Hemiptera, Pentatomidae. Distribution from Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia, and ** in the north, south to Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, and Qinghai.

Hosts include wheat, rice, and other grasses.

Damage characteristics: adults and nymphs pierce and suck the sap of host leaves. Affected wheat seedlings develop dead hearts or white spots on the leaf surface, later twisting into a braid-like shape, with white heads and shriveled grains appearing.

Morphological characteristics: adult body length 9-11 mm, yellow-brown, with black and white longitudinal stripes, head tilted downward, front end pointed and split. The scutellum is especially well developed, tongue-shaped, and longer than the center of the abdominal dorsum. Eggs are bun-shaped and reddish-brown. Nymphs are mostly to entirely black, with red compound eyes and yellow between the abdominal segments. (Left in the figure)

Life habits: In Ningxia it has 2-3 generations per year, overwintering as adults at the base of splendor grass. It begins activity in late April of the following year, moves into wheat fields in early May to damage wheat seedlings, and in early May lays eggs on the lower leaf tips of wheat seedlings or on dead branches and fallen leaves on the ground, with 11-12 eggs arranged in a single row. They hatch into nymphs in mid-May and continue to cause damage. @#@245@#@ When they mature, the adults fly back to the overwintering weeds, and from October they begin to hide and overwinter.

Control methods: (1) Before the overwintering insects resume activity, clear away the splendor grass near the wheat fields and bury it deeply or burn it to reduce the source of insects. (2) When necessary, use 1 kg of 2.5% trichlorfon powder, mix with 20 kg of fine sand, and spread it into the grass. (3) During the peak period of adult damage, spray 2.5% trichlorfon powder onto wheat seedlings or splendor grass, using 1.5-2 kg per 667 sq m. Spray once more after 10 days to eliminate newly hatched nymphs. (4) When necessary, spray 2.5% Baode emulsifiable concentrate at 2500 times dilution.