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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Wapato, Washington » Temperate Tree Fruit and Vegetable Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #359439
Research Project: New Technologies and Strategies to Manage the Changing Pest Complex on Temperate Fruit Trees

Location: Temperate Tree Fruit and Vegetable Research

Title: Brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) (Stål, 1855), detections in Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Author
item HORWOOD, MARTIN - Greater Sydney Local Land Services
item MILNES, JOSHUA - Washington State University
item Cooper, William - Rodney

Submitted to: Austral Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/10/2018
Publication Date: 11/28/2019
Citation: Horwood, M., Milnes, J., Cooper, W.R. 2019. Brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) (Stål, 1855), detections in Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Austral Entomology. 58(4):857-865. https://doi.org/10.1111/aen.12421|.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/aen.12421

Interpretive Summary: Brown marmorated stink bug is a global threat to agriculture and is a public nuisance. Originally from eastern Asia, this insect has been introduced to other parts of the world through shipping activities. This insect is closely monitored in regions where it is not yet established, including Australia. In 2017 and 2018, brown marmorated stink bug was detected at two locations in Western Sydney, Australia, on goods imported from Northern Italy. Extensive surveys did not detect live insects outside of the contained area where the insects were first found. Scientists at the USDA-ARS in Wapato and Washington State University used genetic techniques identify the haplotypes of these captured insects, which will help researchers track the human-assisted movement of stink bugs among countries.

Technical Abstract: Brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) (Stål, 1855) is a polyphagous agricultural insect pest which causes serious production losses. BMSB also has human lifestyle impacts which arise from its habit of overwintering in homes. The invasiveness of BMSB and the harm it causes is making it a pest of increasing importance. Over the past 30 years the bug has spread from its native range in East Asia to North America and Europe. In November 2017 and January 2018 BMSB were found at two Western Sydney locations on goods imported from northern Italy. While BMSB detections on imports are common in Australia, these encounters were significant because of sightings of bugs outside the infested premises (IPs) indicating possible spread into the local environment. Measures undertaken in Western Sydney to contain and eradicate BMSB include fumigation of infested goods, insecticide treatment of the warehouse site and surroundings and delimiting surveillance. Before commencing widespread surveillance, a vegetation survey was conducted to identify known host and potential BMSB host plants around the IPs. ESRI Collector for ArcGIS™ was used to compile host plant location data which served as the basis for pheromone trap deployment and physical inspection. Surveillance continued until May 2018. No live BMSB were detected. DNA analysis of dead BMSB collected from infested goods discerned the presence of two different haplotypes (H): H1 (previously detected in North America, Europe and China) and H23 (North America and Japan). Although only H1 has been officially recorded in Italy, H23 may be more recent arrivals, possibly via similar pathways to those that brought BMSB into Western Sydney.