| Spined Soldier Bug |
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Hardware and protocols were tested to enable individual growers and insectary operators to mass-produce predatory spined soldier bugs (SSBs), Podisus maculiventris (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae: Asopinae), for augmentative biological control. Using pheromone-based technology, an average of 1775 female SSBs (potentially as many as 1.6 million offspring) were captured each year during 2-3 weeks in early spring. Augmentation of SSB (~5 nymphs/plant) significantly suppressed the Colorado potato beetle (CPB), Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Pheromone-mediated augmentation using porous nursery cages and pheromone dispensers (Soldier Bug Attractors?; Sterling International, Inc., http://www.rescue.com/) was less labor-intensive than earlier methods, and resulted in significantly improved potato yield. Success of this predator augmentation/conservation technique against the CPB suggests that the approach will work as well or better against less formidable pests.
