Brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys Stål, is an invasive, herbivorous insect species that was accidentally introduced to the United States from Asia. First discovered in Allentown, PA, in 1996, H. halys has now been reported from at least 40 states in the United States. Additional invasions have been detected in Canada, Switzerland, France, Germany, Italy, and Lichtenstein, suggesting this invasive species could emerge as a cosmopolitan pest species. In its native range, H. halys is classified as an outbreak pest; however, in North America, H. halys has become a major agricultural pest across a wide range of commodities. H. halys is a generalist herbivore, capable of consuming Ͼ100 different species of host plants, often resulting in substantial economic damage; its feeding damage resulted in US$37 million of losses in apple in 2010, but this stink bug species also attacks other fruit, vegetable, field crop, and ornamental plant species. H. halys has disrupted integrated pest management programs for multiple cropping systems. Pesticide applications, including broad-spectrum insecticides, have increased in response to H. halys infestations, potentially negatively influencing populations of beneficial arthropods and increasing secondary pest outbreaks. H. halys is also challenging because it affects homeowners as a nuisance pest; the bug tends to overwinter in homes and outbuildings. Although more research is required to better understand the ecology and biology of H. halys, we present its life history, host plant damage, and the management options available for this invasive pest species.

Halyomorpha halys was accidentally introduced into Switzerland around 2004 and has recently spread to several additional areas in Europe, with established populations documented in France, Italy, Greece and Hungary. To test whether generalist egg parasitoids of European Pentatomidae have the potential to control H. halys, and whether these could be as effective as their related Asian species, sentinel egg masses of H. halys and six native European pentatomids were exposed in two regions of Switzerland. Freeze-killed sentinel egg masses of H. halys were attacked by the platygastrid Trissolcus cultratus and the eupelmid Anastatus bifasciatus, whereas fresh egg masses of native Pentatomidae occassionally yielded four Scelionidae species: Trissolcus semistriatus, T. scutellaris, T. cultratus and Telenomus chloropus. In no-choice tests, T. chloropus and T. semistratus produced no offspring from fresh H. halys eggs, whereas T. cultratus and T. scutellaris were sporadically able to complete development. Stopping embryogenesis by freezing egg masses of H. halys at -80°C enabled T. cultratus and T. semistriatus to produce a high number of offspring without influencing the behaviour of the parasitoids. In contrast to European platygastrids, the Asian parasitoids Trissolcus japonicus and T. cultratus (Chinese strain) caused significantly higher parasitism of fresh H. halys eggs. Differences in developmental success may be related to less efficient venom of European scelionids injected during oviposition. To date, A. bifasciatus is the only potential candidate for augmentaive biological control of H. halys in Europe as it was the only European parasitoid capable of consistent, successful development on fresh H. halys eggs.

Abstract:The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) revolutionized the field of diagnostics, and today it has routine applications in medical, veterinary, forensic and botanical sciences. The fields of biological control and insect pest management have generally been slow to adopt PCR-based diagnostics in comparison with other fields of science. However, there has been increasing interest in the use of molecular diagnostic tools in arthropod biological control. In applied entomology, molecular techniques have generally been used for insect identification and systematics; however, PCR-based techniques are increasingly becoming recognized as valuable tools in ecological studies. Here, we review research that has used PCR-based techniques for parasitoid and predator/prey identification and detection, and place these studies in the context of their contributions to biological control of arthropods. The status and future directions of diagnostic molecular markers in applied entomology and insect pest management are also discussed.

The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål), native to China, Japan, and Korea, has emerged as a harmful invasive pest of a variety of crops in North America and Europe. The Asian egg parasitoid Trissolcus japonicus has been identified as the most promising agent for classical biological control of invasive H. halys populations. A 4-year study evaluated the fundamental and ecological host ranges of T. japonicus as well as its phenology and impact on H. halys populations in fruit orchards in its native range in northern China. In laboratory no-choice tests, developmental suitability of eight non-target host species for T. japonicus was demonstrated by the successful production of progeny on the majority (>85%) of non-target host species tested. In field-collected, naturally laid egg masses, T. japonicus was the most abundant parasitoid associated with H. halys and Dolycoris baccarum, but was also sporadically found in Plautia crossota. Furthermore, it was regularly reared from sentinel egg masses of Menida violacea, Arma chinensis, and Carbula eoa. The only species that did not support development in the laboratory and field was Cappaea tibialis. Besides the benefit of having a high impact on H. halys populations in Northern China, the risk assessment conducted in the area of origin indicates that native Pentatomidae in North America and Europe could be negatively impacted by T. japonicus. Whether the benefits of T. japonicus outweigh the possible risks will have to be evaluated based on the outcome of additional host range studies in the two invaded regions.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10340-017-0863-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

No abstract

The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), has emerged as a harmful invasive insect pest in North America and Europe in the 1990s and 2000s, respectively. Native to eastern Asia, this highly polyphagous pest ([120 different host plants) is spreading rapidly worldwide, notably through human activities. The increasing global importance of the pest suggests that more coordinated actions are needed to slow its spread and mitigate negative effects in invaded areas. Prevention of large-scale outbreaks will require accurate identification and effective mitigation tools to be rapidly developed and widely implemented. In this short review, we update the current distribution of H. halys, discuss potential geographic range expansion based on passive and active dispersal and provide insight on the economic, environmental and social impact associated with H. halys.

No abstract

No abstract