Predation and Parasitism of Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) Eggs in Minnesota

Abstract

The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), has spread across North America and is causing serious economic damages. Current management of this pest is based primarily on use of insecticides, which can disrupt integrated pest management programs. Alternatively, biological control is a more benign management tactic. This study provides the first examination of potential impact of parasitoids and predators of pentatomid eggs in Minnesota. Over 2 yr, 10,074 fresh and 9,870 frozen H. halys eggs were deployed in two forest and two soybean habitats in St. Paul, Minnesota from June to August. Our results demonstrate that rates of parasitism and predation were low, accounting for only 0.4 and 3.7%, respectively, across years, habitats, and egg states. In general, the parasitoid Telenomus podisi Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae), had higher impacts on H. halys eggs in soybean, and generalist predators were more prevalent in forest habitats. Overall, predation was higher on fresh versus frozen eggs, and parasitism was not consistent across egg states. Although the rates of H. halys mortality due to natural enemies were low, results of our study may be conservative estimates of their true impact. Also, sentinel egg mass surveys should account for undeveloped parasitoids to better quantify H. halys egg mortality by native parasitoids. Alternative management tactics, such as the introduction of Trissolcus japonicus (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae), could be considered to improve biological control of H. halys. Our findings serve as the foundation for future work on biological control of this pest and other pentatomids.

Preempting the Arrival of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, Halyomorpha halys: Biological Control Options for Australia

“…Many egg parasitoids were found in the invaded range, but overall parasitism levels remained low (<1 to 15.1%) [ 61 , 62 ] and variable (e.g., 0 to 59%, based on parasitoid emergence across surveys) [ 49 ]. As in the native range, most egg parasitoids were from the genera Trissolcus , Telenomus, and Anastatus [ 49 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 ], but some studies also recovered Ooencyrtus spp. [ 77 , 78 ], with at least one species not considered a hyperparasitoid [ 34 ].…”

Lateralization of Courtship Traits Impacts Pentatomid Male Mating Success—Evidence from Field Observations

“…Insights on the reproductive behavior of insect pests of economic importance are valuable to predict the spatial and temporal population dynamics of these species, allowing adequate modelling paths [45,46], as well as to design effective and sustainable pest management strategies. The recent spreading of pentatomids and their polyphagia are threating agriculture and ecosystems worldwide [33][34][35]. Herein, we provided data from observations in the wild on the courtship and mating behavior of H. dentatus, including male antennal tapping on the female body, male foreleg palpation of the tip of the female abdomen, male antennal tapping on the female abdomen, male 180 • turning behavior with end-to-end genital contact with the female, followed by the copula.…”

“…The importance of Pentatomidae, one of the largest heteropteran families including more than 4120 described species [31,32], is recognized worldwide. Recently, due to the threat posed by the invasion of some stink bug species, there is an increasing demand to identify sustainable and effective pest management strategies against these insects [33][34][35]. Despite the importance of H. dentatus as a pest of A. indica trees, little research has been done to investigate the systematics, biology, and behavioral ecology of this bug species [26,36,37].…”

Seasonal Abundance and Diversity of Egg Parasitoids of Halyomorpha halys in Kiwifruit Orchards in China

“…Several enemies of BMSB, including arthropod predators, dipteran parasitoids, and hymenopteran egg parasitoids, have been recorded from both its native and adventive range [ 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ]. In its native range, eggs of BMSB are attacked by a complex of species, mainly in the genera Trissolcus Ashmead (Scelionidae), Telenomus Haliday (Scelionidae), Ooencyrtus (Encyrtidae), Acroclisoides (Pteromalidae), and Anastatus (Eupelmidae) [ 18 , 20 ].…”