Monitoring of the Brown marmorated stink bug Halyomorpha halys (Stål, 1855) in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract

Brown marmorated stink bug Halyomorpha halys (Stål, 1855) is an invasive and polyphagous stink bug native to Asia. It has recently invaded Europe and Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is highly polyphagous pest of many economically important commodities including tree fruit, nut crops, field crops, vegetables and ornamentals. Moreover, it is an important nuisance pest because large numbers of adults seek out artificial structures for overwintering. Monitoring of population dynamics of H. halys during two years (2020 and 2021) was performed in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The pest was present through monitoring period April–October with the highest abundance in the third decade of July when all life stages were present. More individuals were caught on pyramid trap (845) compared to sticky trap (156) favoring pyramid trap for future monitoring. Total number of caught individuals was 6.5 folds higher in the second year of the monitoring indicating population increase that presents threat to agricultural production.