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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 #347593
Title: Presence of the invasive brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) on home exteriors during the autumn dispersal period: results generated by citizen scientists

Author
item Hancock, Torri
item LEE, DOO-HYUNG - Gachon University
item BERGH, CHRISTOPHER - Virginia Polytechnic Institution & State University
item Morrison, William - Rob
item Leskey, Tracy

Submitted to: Agricultural and Forest Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/27/2018
Publication Date: 11/1/2018
Citation: Hancock, T., Lee, D., Bergh, C., Morrison III, W.R., Leskey, T.C. 2018. Presence of the invasive brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) on home exteriors during the autumn dispersal period: results generated by citizen scientists. Agricultural and Forest Entomology. 21:99-108. https://doi.org/10.1111/afe.12312.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/afe.12312

Interpretive Summary: The invasive brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) is a serious nuisance pest when it overwinters in buildings. To better understand the cues BMSB uses to select overwintering sites, citizen science volunteers, primarily from the Mid-Atlantic region of the USA, were recruited to count the number of adult stink bugs landing on their homes in the early Autumn in 2013 and 2014. Results revealed that fewer adults landed on white homes compared with brown, tan, and gray homes. Greater numbers landed on homes with wood, cemment, or stone exteriors compared with vinyl. Furthermore, more were present on the north and east sides of homes and homes located in rural areas. These results allow us to better understand why the numbers of adults infesting homes varies widely in areas where BMSB are known to be present.

Technical Abstract: The invasive brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is a serious nuisance pest when it overwinters in buildings. To address how H. halys may select potential overwintering sites, citizen science volunteers, primarily from the Mid-Atlantic region of the USA, were recruited to count the number of H. halys alighting on their homes during the fall dispersal periods in 2013 and in 2014. In addition, a survey was conducted on a sub-sample of representative volunteers to obtain background information on the colors and exterior structural materials commonly found for homes in the region. Volunteer data revealed significantly fewer adults counted on white homes compared with brown and tan homes in 2013 and with gray homes in both years. The greatest numbers were counted on the north and east walls in both years and on homes with wood, cement, or stone exteriors. In addition, significantly more adults were counted on homes in rural landscapes compared with urban areas in both years. While most homes reported in the survey were tan in color with vinyl exteriors, H. halys alighted in greater numbers on darker colored homes made of natural materials. Thus, homes located in rural landscapes with these features could be prone to larger nuisance infestations of overwintering H. halys based on their alightment and site selection behavior.