The invasive brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys (Stål), has resulted in increased use of insecticides on horticultural crops in the Mid-Atlantic US, which has diminished integrated pest management (IPM) programs that worked well otherwise. The research herein explored the use of three new tools in the development of BMSB management strategies. In one study, a BMSB pheromone lure was placed on insecticide-incorporated mesh netting to be used in an attract-and-kill strategy to protect bell peppers. The pheromone and netting deployed within a pepper field resulted in more BMSB feeding on plants within 6.1 m to the attract-and-kill screen than in further peppers or peppers in the weekly insecticide treatment. In another study, the insecticidal netting used as a row cover reduced stink bug damage to peppers, but also caused significant yield losses, possibly due to lack of light and/or pollination. The BMSB pheromone lure was also utilized in a sticky trap-based action threshold for insecticide application decisions. The trap and lure predicted densities of bugs on pepper plants and the use of an action threshold of 5 bugs per trap per week to trigger an insecticide spray reduced insecticide applications by 50% at one location, however population densities were lower at the other two locations and significance was not found among treatments. Lastly, BMSB is a nuisance pest to homeowners so we tested the exclusion efficacy of repellents on overwintering shelters and found an 8-fold reduction in BMSB that entered shelters treated with geranyl cyclopentanone (apritone). The use of BMSB pheromones paired with insecticide netting for attract-and-kill of BMSB, the development of action thresholds using captures in pheromone-baited sticky cards, and the use of apritone as a repellent are all promising IPM strategies worth refining in future studies. / MSLFS / The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) has become a serious household nuisance and agricultural pest in the US. BMSB feeds on and damages a large variety of crops including, fruits, vegetables, and field crops. Most growers of high value crops have increased their insecticide usage to battle this bug; thus, more sustainable integrated pest management (IPM) approaches need to be established. One main vegetable crop that BMSB damages is bell peppers. One study tested the efficacy of an attract-and-kill approach involving a BMSB pheromone lure paired with insecticide-impregnated mesh netting. When deployed in pepper fields, it was found that BMSB stayed on plants rather than receiving a lethal dose from the netting. Another study tested the netting as a row cover or as a fence between peppers and found that it did little at preventing damage. Furthermore, pepper yields were significantly lower under the row cover treatment. In another study, a clear sticky panel placed on a stake and paired with a BMSB pheromone lure was used to assist in making management decisions based on relative densities of bugs in plots. This can help determine if insecticide applications are needed. Not only is BMSB a pest of agriculture, but it is also a nuisance pest to homeowners when adults seek winter shelter during their fall dispersal period, sometimes entering homes by the thousands. The tactile repellent, geranyl cyclopentanone (apritone), was found to elicit an 8-fold reduction in the number of overwintering BMSB in overwintering shelters.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/96807 |
| Date | 21 August 2018 |
| Creators | Bush, Hayley Grace |
| Contributors | Entomology, Kuhar, Thomas P., Leskey, Tracy C., Bergh, J. Christopher |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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