Flight behavior of the bean bug, Riptortus clavatus (Thunberg) (Hemiptera: Alydidae), relative to adult age, sex and season

Abstract

Studies related to the flight behavior of the bean bug, Riptortus clavatus, an insect pest of soybean, provide information, which can aid the development of management tactics. R. clavatus flight activities were determined using the tethered flight technique in the laboratory and a field study. We compared the flight parameters (flight distance, duration, speed and frequency) of laboratory-reared mated or unmated females and males of different adult age groups, and field-collected females and males from different seasons in a year. Mating effect was only significant for flight frequency, which was higher for unmated adults. Only the flight frequency was different between females and males. Among age groups, 25 d old individuals were shown to have higher flight parameters while the 35 or 45 d old groups showed the lower flight. Among the season, flight activities decreased as the season progressed. The flight distance of R. clavatus in a day was estimated to be 1.6–5.1 km with an average speed of 0.8 m/s from the laboratory data. However, from the field study, it was shown that bean bugs flew a 45–54 m distance with a flight speed of 3.0–3.6 m/s for the first single flight. The second flight was much shorter and slower. We discuss the possible difference of flight parameters between the laboratory and field studies with features of flight mill, variable field conditions and host plant finding behaviors. Further study on flight behavior may provide a better understanding of R. clavatus biology which may guide proper management.