Abstract
Problem Statement: Stink bugs were not major pests of cotton in the southeastern United States until cotton varieties containing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) transgenes came into common use, enabling reductions in insecticide applications against highly destructive lepidopteran pests. To maintain the benefits of reduced insecticide applications, it would be advantageous to detect and target isolated populations of stink bugs before they rise to economically important levels. However, detection methods for these pests are less than optimal, and alternative methods are being investigated. One novel method of detection would be to exploit substrate-borne vibrational signals of these bugs. Approach: To develop an effective vibration detection method, substrate-borne vibrational signals produced by different species commonly occurring in the region must be characterized sufficiently to enable detection of these species in the absence of visual observation. In this research, substrate-borne vibrational signals were recorded from the brown stink bug Euschistus servus. These signals were categorized by dominant frequency, duration, and repetition time using a Gaussian mixture model, revealing an assortment of "songs" in an acoustic repertoire. Results: Females of E. servus emitted two distinct songs while males of E. servus emitted four distinct songs. Results indicated that the repertoire of this species differs from that of other species in the same geographical location (southeastern United States) reported in previous literature. Conclusion/Recommendations: In conclusion, detection of pentatomid pests by their substrate-borne vibrational signals must include the parameters of each unique song of each species of stink bug to be detected, including those of the two female and four male songs of E. servus. The characterization of these songs will allow for the development of a monitoring system in the field using strategically placed accelerometers to detect stink bug vibrational communication and thus provide a density map of the location of these pests.
Highlights
Widespread adoption of cotton, Gossypium hirsutum (L.), containing transgenes from bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) has resulted in significant reductions in foliar-applied insecticides for major lepidopteran pests of the crop
In order to preserve the benefits of Bt cotton, detection methods are recommended for stink bugs that provide some measure of pest density or damage, allowing targeted control with insecticides
To identify a range of different signals produced by males and females, ten recordings of 90 s each were made of 10 males only, 10 females only and 1 male-female pair and thirty recordings of 90 s each were made of various numbers of males and females numbering 30 total stink bugs
Summary
Widespread adoption of cotton, Gossypium hirsutum (L.), containing transgenes from bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) has resulted in significant reductions in foliar-applied insecticides for major lepidopteran pests of the crop. With less pesticide use, species of stink bugs that previously would have been controlled coincidentally by applications of insecticides are causing economic damage to cotton (Roach, 1988; Turnipseed and Greene, 1996; Greene et al, 2001). Stink bugs feed on developing seeds in young bolls, causing bolls or individual locks to become hardened, discolored and unharvestable (Wene and Sheets, 1964; Barbour et al, 1988). Prior to 1996, there were few or no reports of losses and control costs associated with stink bugs in cotton in the US. In 2005 alone, losses due to stink bugs were estimated to be over $63 million in the US, with control costs exceeding $11.5 million (Williams, 2006).
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