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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Byron, Georgia » Fruit and Tree Nut Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #154098
Title: USING PHEROMONE TRAPS TO SAMPLE STINK BUGS IN AND AROUND PECAN ORC HARDS

Author
item Cottrell, Ted
item Wood, Bruce
item GREENE, JEREMY - UNIVERSITY OF AR
item MIZELL, RUSSELL - UNIVERSITY OF FL
item YONCE, CARROLL - RETIRED (ARS)

Submitted to: Proceedings Oklahoma Pecan Growers Annual Meeting
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/25/2003
Publication Date: 5/30/2003
Citation: COTTRELL, T.E., WOOD, B.W., GREENE, J.K., MIZELL, R.F., YONCE, C.E. USING PHEROMONE TRAPS TO SAMPLE STINK BUGS IN AND AROUND PECAN ORC HARDS. PROCEEDINGS OKLAHOMA PECAN GROWERS ANNUAL MEETING. 2003. v.73. p.14-27.

Interpretive Summary: Stink bugs are serious pests of many crops, including pecan, and their populations in orchards can be influenced by surrounding habitats throughout the season. For this study, the brown stink bug and the dusky stink bug were monitored through the season using pheromone baited stink bug traps. These traps were placed in grid fashion across all contiguous habitats, including pecan, that occurred within the study site. Study sites were located at a site in central and in south Georgia. Overall, E. servus was more abundant than E. tristigmus and E. servus favored pastures, row crops and other less-shaded habitats. Euschistus tristigmus was more commonly captured in shaded habitats such as wooded areas and in the pecan canopy. Seasonal occurrence of stink bugs in pecan varied at the two sites which had different surrounding vegetation. The Peach County pecan orchard had higher early season stink bug numbers and was surrounded mostly by cotton and pasture whereas the Brooks County pecan orchard had similar stink bug numbers as other surrounding habitats such as cotton, corn and peanuts. Late season stink bug numbers were low in pecan at the Peach County site; whereas, they increased in pecan at the Brooks County site after peanuts were turned over during the late season. However, most stink bugs at both sites were captured in cotton during the late season.

Technical Abstract: Stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) are serious pests of many crops, including pecan, and weed species. As such, their populations in pecan orchards can be greatly influenced throughout the season by habitats surrounding an orchard. We monitored Euschistus spp. stink bugs across various habitats at a site in Peach County and one in Brooks County, GA. We did this study throughout the season using yellow pyramidal traps each baited with 40 l of a Euschistus aggregation pheromone (methyl-2,4-decadienoate) loaded onto a rubber septum. These traps were placed as a grid across 260 hectares that included row crops (e.g., cotton, corn and peanuts), pastures, woodlots, and pecan. Lures were changed weekly when stink bugs were recorded. In addition, sweep net sampling was done in each habitat throughout the season. Overall, E. servus was more abundant than E. tristigmus and E. servus favored pastures, row crops and other less-shaded habitats. Euschistus tristigmus was more commonly captured in shaded habitats such as wooded areas and in the pecan canopy. Seasonal occurrence of stink bugs in pecan varied at the two sites which had different surrounding vegetation. The Peach County pecan orchard had higher early season stink bug numbers and was surrounded mostly by cotton and pasture whereas the Brooks County pecan orchard had similar stink bug numbers as other surrounding habitats such as cotton, corn and peanuts. Late season stink bug numbers were low in pecan at the Peach County site; whereas, numbers increased in pecan at the Brooks County site after peanuts were turned over during the late season. However, most stink bugs at both sites were captured in cotton during the late season.