New endeavors in monitoring and management of brown marmorated stink bug Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in eastern United States

Abstract: Brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) Halyomorpha halys (Stäl) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) continues to be the most important driver for the intensity of insecticide based pest management programs in fruit orchards in eastern United States. The BMSB monitoring studies which included lure and trap design comparisons documented the practical viability of BMSB field monitoring practices for very accurate assessment of the actual BMSB pest pressure from July until October. And while the precise BMSB treatment thresholds are still not fully validated, employing traps for the development of provisional treatment thresholds provided reliable indicators of stink bugs presence in the area. The commercial availability of BMSB attractants allowed us to re-introduce IPM friendly management practices based on monitoring and, at the same time, provided tools to verify the results. Employing extensive monitoring of BMSB and other fruit insect pests allowed some of our growers to reduce the number of insecticide applications by over 70 percent between the 2013 and 2015 seasons with no difference in the fruit injury levels caused by BMSB.