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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Kearneysville, West Virginia » Appalachian Fruit Research Laboratory » Innovative Fruit Production, Improvement, and Protection » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #297174
Title: Behavioral responses of the invasive Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) to light-based stimuli in the laboratory and field

Author
item Leskey, Tracy
item Lee, Doo Hyung
item Glenn, David
item Morrison, William - Rob

Submitted to: Journal of Insect Behavior
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/5/2015
Publication Date: 11/12/2015
Citation: Leskey, T.C., Lee, D., Glenn, D.M., Morrison III, W.R. 2015. Behavioral responses of the invasive Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) to light-based stimuli in the laboratory and field. Journal of Insect Behavior. 28(6):674-692.

Interpretive Summary: The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål), is an invasive species from Asia that was accidently introduced into the United States. It has become both a serious agricultural and nuisance pest throughout the mid-Atlantic region. Growers have attempted to manage this stink bug with increased insecticide applications in the absence of monitoring tools to detect their presence and abundance. Because brown marmorated stink bug adults are attracted to lights, we explored the possibility of using light-based stimuli to develop monitoring tools for growers. We assessed adult response to different wavelengths and intensities of light in the laboratory and field. In the laboratory, brown marmorated stink bug responded to various wavelengths of light, but their response was also affected by the intensity or brightness. In the field, they were most attracted to white, blue and black (ultraviolet). In the field, traps provisioned with blue light sources were less attractive to non-target insect species, but white light sources were more attractive to adult stink bugs indicating that these light sources may be good candidates for inclusion in monitoring traps.

Technical Abstract: Halyomorpha halys (Stål), brown marmorated stink bug, is an invasive insect native to Asia that was accidently introduced into the United States. H. halys is a polyphagous pest that has caused serious economic injury to specialty and row crops in the mid-Atlantic region. Growers have targeted H. halys with broad-spectrum materials and by increasing the number of and decreasing the interval between insecticide applications. These applications are being made to provide blanket coverage against invading populations due to the absence of effective monitoring tools for reliable detection of this invasive pest. H. halys adults respond to light-based stimuli at large aggregations have been documented at outdoor light sources and captured in commercial blacklight traps. Therefore, we conducted a series of studies aimed at identifying optimal wavelengths and intensities of light attractive to H. halys adults. We found that intensity and wavelength of light affected H. halys response in the laboratory and field. In the laboratory, H. halys demonstrated positive phototactic responses to full-spectrum and wavelength-restricted stimuli at a range of intensities, though the levels of stimulus acceptance and attraction, respectively, changed according to intensity. H. halys also appeared to be most attracted to white, blue and black (ultraviolet) wavelength-restricted stimuli in the laboratory and field. In the field, traps provisioned with blue light sources were less attractive to non-target insect species, but white light sources were more attractive to adult stink bugs indicating that these light sources may be good candidates for inclusion in monitoring traps.