The insects listed here are ranked from the most important and common pests in Georgia with the emphasis on southern Georgia where the majority of the production occurs. All insect pests, but the cowpea curculio, have satisfactory control options available to growers. The cowpea curculio is the main production-limiting key pest where it occurs in the southeastern USA.

1. Cowpea curculio, Chalcodermus aeneus (Coleoptera), is a weevil (see image), that seems to have originated from the Caribbean / Central America region of the New World.  It has never been reported in the Old World, but has been reported as the major pest of southern peas where it occurs in the SE USA for well over a century. The distribution of the weevil in the SE USA has been reported roughly in the triangle from southern Texas to North Carolina and south to Florida. However, with the tremendous decline in southern pea acreage over the last 50 years, the distribution is more scattered and tends to be reported more in traditional southern pea production areas of Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina in recent years. Both the larval and adult feeding causes damage to the pea and can make it unmarketable. Feeding and egg laying occurs in the developing pods producing a distinct, dark spot lesion or “sting” on the outside of the pod. Heavy feeding by adults can reduce the amount of flowering and therefore fruit set in the crop. The grub develops inside of the pod feeding directly on the seeds, producing frass (insect excrement) inside of the pod. As much as 40-60% yield loss can be typical.

2. Stink bugs, specifically southern green stinkbug, Nezara viridula, and brown stinkbug, Euschistus servus (Hemiptera), are common pest of cowpeas, feeding mainly on the pods during seed development. The external damage appears as a small lesion or “sting”, smaller than that caused by the curculio, and the damage internally is reduced seed weights, but no frass will be present. Stink bugs are highly seasonal and only cause significant damage when they occur in high numbers for short periods during the spring and summer. Also, stinkbugs are relatively easy to control with insecticides which can be timed to scouting reports, eliminating any need for calendar sprays. Thus, the impact of control on pollinators can be much less than for curculio spray programs. Southern green stinkbugs reach damaging levels at 4 stinkbugs foot of row of southern peas in Georgia.

3. Armyworms, Spodoptera spp. (Lepidoptera), and in particular, beet armyworm, S. exigua, can cause noticeable damage to the foliage of cowpeas generally during the summer. It has not been documented whether or not armyworm damage actually results in significant yield loss because the cowpea plant tends to compensate for some foliar damage, but the assumption is that 15% foliage loss from two weeks prior to flowering and until pods have filled is a treatment threshold, similar to what is recommended for soybean.

4. Cowpea weevil, Callosobruchus maculatus (Coleptera), is a stored grain pest of cowpea that only affects the dried cowpea seed in Georgia, not the fresh frozen product or any field production. Storing dried seed at near freezing temperatures can eliminate the weevil in the seed bags.

5. Other insect pests to look out for: Other insects that can cause damage to the plant, but generally occur in low levels are
   • banded cucumber beetle, Diabrotica balteata (Coleoptera) which is a defoliating pest
   • kudzu bug, Megacopta cribraria (Hemiptera) which can feed on stems and pods like stinkbugs
   • Cowpea aphid, Aphis craccivora (Hemiptera) which can transmit mosaic viruses and rarely build up to cause damage on their own without the virus
   • leafhoppers, Empoasca spp. (Hemiptera) a sporadic pest,
   • corn earworm; Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera), which rarely causes problems in cowpeas in Georgia
   • American serpentine leafminer, Liriomyza trifolii (Diptera), which causes mining in the leaves, but rarely warrants control in Georgia
   • chrysomelid beetle, Cerotoma ruficornis (Coleoptera) which is sporadic