ARS | Publication request: Lygus bugs

Submitted to: Compendium of Chickpea and Lentil Diseases and Pests
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: September 15, 2010
Publication Date: January 7, 2011
Citation: Allen, M.L. 2011. Lygus bugs. Compendium of Chickpea and Lentil Diseases and Pests. 92: 23-25.

Technical Abstract: The tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris, and the western tarnished plant bug, L. hesperus (Hemiptera: Miridae), are pests of lentil in western USA. Feeding Lygus bugs produces depressed, chalk-colored lesions (chalky spot) on the lentil seeds. These bugs are pests of lentil throughout the Palouse area (eastern Washington and northern Idaho) in the USA. In years where pea aphid populations on lentil are very low, early insecticide applications are not made and this results in greater damage by the Lygus bugs. Scouting for Lygus bug is critical to prevent damage to the crop. Close examination of the plants is the best way to see Lygus bugs, which are present under the curly leaves of the lentil plants during the daytime, and rarely seen on the visible portions of the crop. This chapter describes the distribution, host range, damage, life cycle, and management options for these pests.