D3155: Can biological insecticides work as alternatives to pyrethroids for control of rice stink bugs?

Oebalus pugnax and Oebalus insularis belong to the rice stink bug complex and are the main insect pests of rice produced in southern Florida. The management of stink bugs in conventional rice relies on pyrethroid applications. However, limited information is available on the efficacy of biological insecticides, which might also be used in organic production. Field experiments conducted in 2021 and 2022 evaluated the efficacy of multiple applications of pyrethrins, azadirachtin, and a pre-mix of pyrethrins+azadirachtin. Additional field experiments conducted in 2022 and 2023 compared the efficacy of Beauveria bassiana, Isaria fumosorosea, Chromobacterium subtsugae, and Bulkhoderia rinojensis. The pyrethroid lambda-cyhalothrin was used as an effective commercial standard in all experiments. Pyrethrins and azadirachtin were effective in suppressing rice stink bug infestations. However, the efficacy of the biological insecticides was too low to represent an alternative to pyrethroids in conventional rice or to serve as a foundation for managing stink bugs in organic rice.