Sweet Pea bush - dying - Ask Extension
I had a consumer stop by with this branch from her Sweet Pea bush. It seems to be dying off. There are 2 bushes and are in a sandy type soil. Th...
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Sweet Pea bush - dying #347889
Asked July 29, 2016, 12:11 PM EDT
I had a consumer stop by with this branch from her Sweet Pea bush. It seems to be dying off. There are 2 bushes and are in a sandy type soil. They are 3/4 years old.
When I pulled the branch out of the Ziploc bag - there were bugs in the bag. I have enclosed copies of them to help with their identification. The smaller bug is a clear picture and if you can enlarge you can see it better, also this one can fly. Can you help in identifying what may be killing off these sweet pea bushes and how we can stop any further damage?
Ogemaw County Michigan
Expert Response
Hi. The larger insect is probably a brown marmorated stink bug and the smaller one is some kind of weevil. The BMSB is a relatively new invasive pest in MI but I cannot see all the identifying marks from your photo. Both of these pests would cause chewing damage on the leaves. I am unsure of what you mean by a sweet pea bush. Sweet peas in our zones are usually vines. There are several things that could be wrong with the plant, from poor watering to a wilt disease. If a picture could be sent of the plant where it is growing that would be helpful. Going to http://www.pestid.msu.edu will give instructions for sending a sample to the MSU lab for diagnosis, if the client would like to do that. The insects may be present because the plant is under stress.