Why Didn’t We Have Kudzu Bugs in Tennessee Back in the ’80s?

If you grew up in Middle Tennessee in the 1980s, you grew up with kudzu. It covered the roadsides, swallowed old barns, and climbed telephone poles all summer long. What you didn’t grow up with was the kudzu bug, a small, olive-colored bug that now piles onto light-colored houses every fall. It’s the latest chapter in our series on pests that weren’t around when many of us were kids, after stink bugs and Asian lady beetles.

First came the kudzu

Kudzu itself is a transplant. It was introduced to the United States from Asia at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, promoted as a forage crop and ornamental plant (Penn State Sea Grant). Starting in 1935, government agencies encouraged landowners to plant it to control soil erosion and handed out more than 85 million seedlings (Penn State Sea Grant). During the Great Depression, hundreds of men in the Civilian Conservation Corps were put to work planting it (Conserving Carolina).

It worked a little too well. Kudzu can grow up to a foot a day in the growing season, smothering native plants (Conserving Carolina). The government took it off the list of approved erosion-control plants in 1953, and in 1997 it was designated a noxious weed (Penn State Sea Grant). By then, it was a permanent part of the Southern landscape.

Then, decades later, came the bug

For more than a century, kudzu grew across the South without the insect that feeds on it in Asia. That changed in October 2009, when kudzu bugs were first detected in northeastern Georgia (Clemson Extension). It’s believed to have been an accidental introduction from Asia, and it quickly became established in Georgia and the Carolinas (NC State Extension).

It didn’t take long to reach us. Kudzu bugs were found in Tennessee in 2012 (UT Extension). With no shortage of kudzu here, they found plenty to eat.

How to recognize a kudzu bug

Kudzu bugs are about the size of a pea, olive green with brown speckles, and flat across the back end (University of Maryland Extension). They’re related to stink bugs, but they belong to a separate family, and they’re the only member of that family found in the continental U.S. (North Carolina Department of Agriculture). From a distance, a cluster of them on your siding can look like a scattering of small seeds or beads.

Why they end up on your house

Kudzu bugs feed on kudzu, wisteria, soybeans, and most bean plants. In the fall, large numbers leave those plants to find sheltered places to spend the winter, and many of the places they choose are cracks, crevices, and voids in homes (Clemson Extension). Outdoors, they’ll also overwinter in plant debris and behind tree bark near kudzu patches and soybean fields (NC State Extension).

Like stink bugs and Asian lady beetles, they gather on light-colored surfaces before moving inside (University of Maryland Extension). Research has found they prefer light colors on houses, especially white, and they’re often seen around window trim, door frames, gutters, and sunny, brightly colored spots (Clemson Extension). From there, they slip in under siding and through gaps around windows, doors, and vents (University of Maryland Extension).

If your home backs up to a kudzu patch, a stand of wisteria, or a soybean field, you’re more likely to see them. They’re also good fliers, so they can reach your house even from plants beyond your property line (Clemson Extension).

Why you shouldn’t pick them up

Kudzu bugs aren’t dangerous, but they are unpleasant up close. Their body fluids have a foul odor and can stain fabrics and walls. Handling them can stain your skin, and in some sensitive people it can even cause blistering and discomfort (Clemson Extension). If you need to move one, use a vacuum, a broom, or a gloved hand.

What to do if kudzu bugs are getting in

• Cut back their food. Removing kudzu and wisteria near your home before fall can help reduce the numbers that show up (Clemson Extension).
• Seal the gaps. Caulk cracks around windows, doors, siding, and utility lines, and repair torn screens, especially on light-colored, sunny walls.
• Vacuum, don’t handle. Vacuum up any that get inside and empty the bag or canister outdoors, so you avoid the odor and stains.
• Treat before they move in. Like other fall invaders, kudzu bugs are easiest to stop on the outside of your home, before they settle into walls for the winter.

How U.S. Pest helps

Kudzu bugs are covered on our home pest control plans along with stink bugs, lady beetles, and other fall invaders. Each visit includes an exterior treatment around the places they gather and get in, like eaves, windows, doors, and siding, and during your free inspection your technician can point out the gaps worth sealing. For more on kudzu bugs around the home, UT Extension also has a helpful homeowner guide.

Compare our monthly, every other month, and quarterly plans, all backed by our Whatever It Takes Guarantee. Call 615-590-1260 or schedule a free inspection.

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Photo: NCBioTeacher, Wikimedia Commons (CC0).

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