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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Newark, Delaware » Beneficial Insects Introduction Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #338668
Research Project: Classical Biological Control of Insect Pests of Crops, Emphasizing Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, Spotted Wing Drosophila and Tarnished Plant Bug

Location: Beneficial Insects Introduction Research Unit

Title: Natural biological control of Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) by native egg parasitoids – a multi-year survey in northern Delaware

Author
item DIECKHOFF, CHRISTINE - University Of Delaware
item Tatman, Kathleen
item Hoelmer, Kim

Submitted to: Journal of Pest Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/21/2017
Publication Date: 5/8/2017
Citation: Dieckhoff, C., Tatman, K.M., Hoelmer, K.A. 2017. Natural biological control of Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) by native egg parasitoids – a multi-year survey in northern Delaware. Journal of Pest Science. 90(4):1143-1158. 10.1007/s10340-017-0868-6

Interpretive Summary: The brown marmorated stink bug, a highly invasive plant pest native to eastern Asia, was accidentally introduced to the eastern USA in the mid-1990s, and has since spread across North America and caused serious economic to many fruit and vegetable crops. Chemical control as a widely applied management strategy is not sustainable on a long-term basis. A nine-year study was conducted to investigate the extent of natural biological control of the invasive stink bug from resident natural enemies by using field placement of lab-reared and collection of wild stink bug eggs in landscapes in northern Delaware. In addition, naturally laid eggs of native stink bugs were collected to compare the diversity of natural enemies of native stink bugs with that of the invasive stink bug. The results showed that the level of predation and parasitism by native natural enemy species is insufficient to provide long-term biological control of this invasive pest in urban and natural landscapes. There was no indication that parasitism by native natural enemies has increased over the course of the nine years of this survey. These results support the need for a classical biological control solution involving introduced Asian natural enemies of the brown marmorated stink bug.

Technical Abstract: Halyomorpha halys (Stål), the brown marmorated stink bug, is a highly polyphagous plant pest native to eastern Asia. Since its accidental introduction to the eastern USA in the mid-1990s, it has spread across North America and caused serious economic and ecological damages. Chemical control has been a widely applied management strategy which is not sustainable on a long-term basis. A nine-year survey was conducted to investigate the extent of natural biological control of H. halys sentinel and naturally laid eggs by parasitoids in managed and non-managed landscapes in northern Delaware, USA. In addition, naturally laid egg masses of pentatomids other than H. halys were collected to compare the parasitoid community present in the surveyed area to the one attacking H. halys eggs. Mean parasitism rates of sentinel eggs were below 6 % in any given year of the survey with a grand mean of 1.79 %. Parasitism of naturally laid H. halys eggs was somewhat higher than that of sentinel eggs. Yet, there was no significant difference in parasitism between years and the grand mean was 4.31 %. The level of parasitism by native egg parasitoid species is insufficient to provide long-term biological control of H. halys in urban and natural landscapes. There was no indication that parasitism by native egg parasitoids has increased significantly over the course of the nine years of this survey. These results support the need for a classical biological control solution involving introduced Asian natural enemies of H. halys.