Researchers study brown marmorated stink bug
Background
The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB, Halyomorpha halys) was first discovered in Minnesota in 2010. BMSB is a major agricultural pest in the eastern and western United States, causing millions of dollars in losses to soybean, sweet corn, apple and grape crops. The problem hasn’t reached damaging levels here in Minnesota.
MITPPC researchers determined the current extent of BMSB infestation across the state by setting a network of traps and improving and expanding the current EDDMaps monitoring system for early detection. They had already created the Midwest Stink Bug Assistant App to help users identify and report BMSB in the field prior to this project.
The data that this team collected also aims to provide a better understanding of where this pest can establish in Minnesota, where it is likely to be most active and where its population stands to grow, and what impacts climate change could have on the overall pest cycle.
Research questions
- What are the current levels of BMSB in Minnesota?
- What is the phenology of BMSB under Minnesota conditions? Where could it establish in the state and in what size populations?
- What are the potential impacts of climate change on BMSB?
Outcomes
This project achieved several goals that will advance the control and management of brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB, Halyomorpha halys), a terrestrial invasive insect in Minnesota which affects soybeans, corn, and fruit crops.
Researchers:
- Evaluated a new “Dua-lure” bait and sticky trap to support early, more efficient detection.
- Created a new app to identify and report BMSB.
- Forecasted the range and development of stinkbugs in under future weather scenarios so farmers can anticipate infestations and use less insecticide.
- Found that BMSB does not build to high numbers until late summer.
Practical models and improved understanding of BMSB biology will contribute to improved management programs that support less insecticide use, enhanced control, and conservation of pollinators.
Publications
- Effect of Temperature on Age-Stage, Two-Sex Life Tables for a Minnesota Acclimated Population of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, (Halyomorpha halys) (Insects, 2020)
- Season-Long Monitoring of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) Throughout the United States Using Commercially Available Traps and Lures (Journal of Economic Entomology, 2019)
- Effects of diapause on Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) cold tolerance (Environmental Entomology, 2018)
- Cold Tolerance of Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) Across Geographic and Temporal Scales (Environmental Entomology, 2016)
News and media
- New crop of pests invades (Star Tribune, October 2019)
- New app for MN farmers, consultants: Midwest Stink Bug Assistant (UMN Extension Minnesota Crop News, 2018)
- Keep an eye out for the brown marmorated stink bug and, yes, there's an app for that (Star Tribune, August 2018)
- Help identify an invasive species before it spreads to crops (Vegetable Growers News, May 2018)
- App helps identify invasive stink bug before it hurts crops (Fruit Growers News, May 2018)
- Brown marmorated stink bug detected in Minnesota soybean (Minnesota Crop News, 2016)
- ArcGIS map of brown marmorated stink bug reports (MN Department of Agriculture, 2016-2020)