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How to Manage Pests

UC Pest Management Guidelines

| More pests | More crops | About guidelines |

Black grass bug and feeding damage on leaf.

Small Grains

Black Grass Bug

Scientific name: Irbisia spp.

(Reviewed 2/07, updated 2/07)

In this Guideline:

DESCRIPTION OF THE PEST

Black grass bugs are small (0.2 to 0.33 inch long), shiny or grayish black bugs with black or red legs and prominent eyes.

DAMAGE

Feeding damage appears as whitish or yellowish patches on the leaves. The association of the insect with these damage symptoms confirms black grass bug damage.

MANAGEMENT

Monitoring
Check field regularly throughout spring. If black grass bug is found, check the extent of the infestation by taking sweep net samples beginning at the field margin and progressing to the center of the field. Infestations are usually heaviest or entirely confined to the edge of the field.

Management Decisions
No economic thresholds have been established. No pesticides are registered for treatment of black grass bug on small grains.

PUBLICATION

[UC Peer Reviewed]

UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines: Small Grains
UC ANR Publication 3466
Insects and Mites
C. G. Summers, Entomology, UC Davis/Kearney Agricultural Center, Parlier
L. D. Godfrey, Entomology, UC Davis
Acknowledgment for contributions to Insects and Mites:
D. Gonzalez, Entomology, UC Riverside

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Statewide IPM Program, Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California
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