Surveys in northern Utah for egg parasitoids of Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) detect Trissolcus japonicus (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae).

Abstract

The highly polyphagous and invasive brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorphahalys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), has become a significant insect pest in North America since its detection in 1996. It was first documented in northern Utah in 2012 and reports of urban nuisance problems and plant damage have since increased. Biological control is the preferred solution to managing H.halys in North America and other invaded regions due to its alignment with integrated pest management and sustainable practices. Native and non-native biological control agents, namely parasitoid wasps, have been assessed for efficacy. Trissolcusjaponicus (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) is an effective egg parasitoid of H.halys in its native range of southeast Asia and has recently been documented parasitising H.halys eggs in North America and Europe. Field surveys for native and exotic egg parasitoids using wild (in situ) and lab-reared H.halys egg masses were conducted in suburban and agricultural sites in northern Utah from June to September 2017–2019. Seven native wasp species in the families Eupelmidae and Scelionidae were discovered guarding H.halys eggs and adult wasps from five of these species completed emergence. Native species had low mean rates of adult emergence from wild (0.5–3.7%) and lab-reared (0–0.4%) egg masses. In 2019, an adventive population of T.japonicus was discovered for the first time in Utah, emerging from 21 of the 106 wild H.halys egg masses found that year, and none from lab-reared eggs. All T.japonicus emerged from egg masses collected on Catalpaspeciosa (Warder). Our results support other studies that have observed biological control of H.halys from T.japonicus and improved parasitoid wasp detection with wild as compared to lab-reared H.halys egg masses.