Abstract
The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål), is an invasive species native to regions of China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. In its native and introduced range, H. halys is considered a pest of tree fruits, vegetables, legumes, and ornamental trees. The highly polyphagous nature of this insect as well as its vast dispersal capabilities, require an integrated approach to management. Here we focus on the potential impact of indigenous natural enemies on H. halys in woody ornamental nurseries in Maryland, USA. We sampled naturally field laid H. halys egg masses for mortality and parasitism rates in 2012 and 2013. Overall, egg mortality averaged 54% for both years, and increased within season and between years. The largest source of mortality was from egg parasitoids with mean parasitism rates of 30.73 and 39.63% in 2012 and 2013, respectively. Mortality from predation was much lower and averaged 4.61% by chewing and 2.53% by sucking predators. We found seven species of Hymenopteran egg parasitoids attacking H. halys eggs, with Anastatus reduvii being the dominant species comprising 61.17 and 79.12% of all parasitoids in 2012 and 2013, respectively. The observed increase in parasitism over time and female biased sex ratio of parasitoids suggests that native parasitoids may be responding to the novel host, H. halys. Consequently, the use of these native eupelmid egg parasitoids in augmentative or conservation biological control may be a viable H. halys management strategy in ornamental nurseries.
Highlights
Invasive species have been well documented for their detrimental impacts in natural and managed ecosystems and for economic consequences associated with their introductions (Pimentel et al 2005; Aukema et al 2011).J Pest Sci (2017) 90:1159–1168The successful invasion of exotic species into new regions is often attributed, partly, to their escape from natural enemies in their native range where they have a shared evolutionary history (Keane and Crawley 2002)
We found seven species of Hymenopteran egg parasitoids attacking H. halys eggs, with Anastatus reduvii being the dominant species comprising 61.17 and 79.12% of all parasitoids in 2012 and 2013, respectively
In 2012 and 2013 parasitism was by far the greatest source of mortality for H. halys eggs followed by unascribed mortality, and predation from chewing and sucking predators (Fig. 3a)
Summary
Invasive species have been well documented for their detrimental impacts in natural and managed ecosystems and for economic consequences associated with their introductions (Pimentel et al 2005; Aukema et al 2011).J Pest Sci (2017) 90:1159–1168The successful invasion of exotic species into new regions is often attributed, partly, to their escape from natural enemies in their native range where they have a shared evolutionary history (Keane and Crawley 2002). Halyomorpha halys is a highly polyphagous, utilizing over 100 host plant species or cultivars across its native and introduced ranges (Bergmann et al 2013; Rice et al 2014; Haye et al 2015; Bergmann et al 2016) and economically damaging pest (Leskey et al 2012; Rice et al 2014; Haye et al 2015). Row and vegetable crops, and ornamental plants in natural and managed environments (Leskey et al 2012; Rice et al 2014; Bergmann et al 2016). Halyomorpha halys use over 88 woody ornamental plants as feeding and/or oviposition hosts throughout the season (Bernon 2004; Bergmann et al 2016)
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