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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Kearneysville, West Virginia » Appalachian Fruit Research Laboratory » Innovative Fruit Production, Improvement, and Protection » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #336249

Title: Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) response to pyramid traps baited with attractive light and pheromonal stimuli

Author
item Rice, Kevin
item WIMAN, NIK - Oregon State University
item HILTON, RICHARD - Oregon State University
item CULLUM, JOHN - Virginia Polytechnic Institution & State University
item Leskey, Tracy

Submitted to: Florida Entomologist
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/6/2017
Publication Date: 6/15/2017
Citation: Rice, K.B., Wiman, N., Hilton, R., Cullum, J., Leskey, T.C. 2017. Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) response to pyramid traps baited with attractive light and pheromonal stimuli. Florida Entomologist. 100(2):449-453.

Interpretive Summary: Insects are attracted to visual and chemical cues. These stimuli can be used to enhance trap captures. The invasive brown marmorated stink bug is attracted to visual cues such as black lights and chemical cues such as aggregation pheromones. However, black lights also attract numerous non-target insects, making trap capture identification laborious. Recent laboratory trials show that brown marmorated stink bug is attracted to blue lights that attract less non-target insect species. In our study, we combine visually attractive blue lights with chemically attractive aggregation pheromones to test if the combined stimuli increase trap captures in areas with high and low populations of brown marmorated stink bug.

Technical Abstract: Halyomorpha halys is an invasive insect that causes severe economic damage to multiple agricultural commodities. Several monitoring techniques have been developed to monitor H. halys including pheromone and light-baited black pyramid traps. Here, we evaluated the attractiveness of these traps baited with light alone, pheromone alone, or the combination in comparison with unbaited traps throughout the growing season in regions with high and low H. halys population densities. In regions with high population densities in the Mid-Atlantic, all baited traps performed better than unbaited traps. During mid-season, traps containing lights captured more H. halys adults, while pheromone-baited traps captured greater numbers during late season. In low-density regions in the Pacific Northwest, all baited traps captured more H. halys adults than unbaited traps. In addition, we evaluated the influence of competing light sources associated with anthropogenic structures. When light traps were deployed next to these additional light sources, H. halys capture rates in pyramid traps baited with light were not significantly reduced. Overall, our results indicate that both light and pheromone traps can be used to detect H. halys activity under low and high-density populations.