Invasion of the kudzu snackers

Kudzu, the fast-growing bane of the Southland, may have found its nemesis in an insect that loves to eat it. The bug has traveled far to reach the north Georgia counties where it was recently identified. And unfortunately, it carries some heavy baggage.

The insect is a bean plataspid, a native of India and China that has never been seen before in the Western Hemisphere. Since it is an invasive species, the potential effects on its new stomping (and chomping) grounds aren't fully predictable yet.

But researchers agree that while kudzu is a mainstay of the insect, so are soybeans and other legumes. That is potentially very bad news for farmers.

The insect's common name is the globular stink bug, which describes one disagreeable facet of its character. Another noxious characteristic: It likes to move inside during the winter. North Georgia homeowners have been notifying pest control companies.

The Georgia Department of Agriculture says the insect can be controlled with insecticides in common use but adds, "Eradication does not appear to be likely, as the insect appears to be widespread and well-established."

Researchers have many questions about the insect, largely related to its proliferation and control. We have a question, too:

If the globular stink bug has invaded north Georgia, how soon before it starts turning up in South Carolina?