Spatiotemporal Distribution of Stink Bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in Peach Orchards and Surrounding Habitat

Abstract

Stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) are economic pests of a variety of fruit crops across the southeastern USA, and damage by stink bugs to peaches is common. The landscape surrounding orchards may influence stink bug distribution and dispersal into this commodity, but such patterns may vary over the growing season. Accordingly, stink bug control should be targeted seasonally towards habitats that effectively reduce or prevent damage to peach. In this study, we used pheromone-baited traps to characterize distribution patterns of 2 stink bug species, Euschistus servus (Say) and Euschistus tristigmus (Say) (both Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), in peach orchards and surrounding habitat over 2 seasons at 3 sites in central Georgia, USA. In addition, we used Spatial Analysis by Distance Indices to identify significant aggregations of each species over the duration of the growing seasons. Adults captured in traps differed by species, and distribution patterns varied by habitat and wk sampled. Euschistus servus was commonly found in peaches, whereas E. tristigmus was not. Regardless of orchard or yr, adult E. servus tended to avoid woodland habitat, whereas E. tristigmus tended to prefer this habitat type. Both species increased later in the season in peach orchards with significant spatial aggregations of each detected at all orchards. However, the wk in which aggregations were detected varied by orchard and yr. Across all orchards, E. servus adults clustered mainly in peach trees adjacent to pecan, as well as pine, fallow, and kudzu habitat. Adult E. tristigmus aggregated primarily in woodland, pine, and pecan habitat. Seasonal distribution patterns of E. servus and E. tristigmus suggest that control measures may need to be implemented on a fine spatial scale across peach and non-crop habitats.