Halyomorpha Halys Research Articles

Disentangling the worldwide invasion process of Halyomorpha halys through approximate Bayesian computation

Disentangling the worldwide invasion process of Halyomorpha halys through approximate Bayesian computation

A different approach to identifying thermal parameters for invasive species.

The brown marmorated stinkbug, Halyomorpha halys Stål (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is a polyphagous invasive insect found in the eastern United States in 1998 but became a major agricultural pest in 2010. Environmental temperatures regulate the location of invasive species establishment in new locations. To determine those areas where an invasive species might establish it is essential to understand the metabolic response of all life stages to temperature. Differential scanning calorimetry is a useful tool to monitor living organisms' metabolism at different temperatures, providing vital information related to the ability of the species to survive in new environments. The information obtained from isothermal and scanning calorimetric experiments on all the life stages of H. halys indicates that the third instar is the most thermoresponsive stage and eggs and fifth instar are the least thermoresponsive, whereas the third instars exhibit a broad range of thermoresponsiveness as compared to all other developmental stages. The recorded values for lower, optimal, and upper developmental temperatures in this study were similar to those reported by other researchers using laboratory and field data to develop degree-day models. This method can help in the rapid development of degree day models to improve and synchronize control efforts for newly invasive species.

First detection of Trissolcus japonicus (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera, Scelionidae) in southwestern France

We report the first detection of Trissolcus japonicus in southwestern France. A total of almost 3000 sentinel and 700 field-laid egg masses of Halyomorpha halys were exposed or collected in the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine in 2022 and 2023. A total of 12 and 44 specimens of T. japonicus emerged from one and two egg masses in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Morphologic analysis confirmed the identification of this egg parasitoid, while molecular analysis of COI matched the haplotype of the French population to the population of T. japonicus released in Italy. Trissolcus japonicus may have arrived in Nouvelle-Aquitaine from introduction pathways similary to T. mitsukurii, detected in 2020, although these pathways cannot be clearly defined. The co-occurrence of these two major parasitoids of BMSB should now be surveyed as possible competition can arise. In the frame of the biological control program currently running in France against BMSB, the use of one or two parasitoid species is also considered.

First cases of contact injury following brown marmorated stink bug crush in Italy.

First cases of contact injury following brown marmorated stink bug crush in Italy.

Retraction Note: Patterns of niche filling and expansion across the invaded ranges of Halyomorpha halys in North America and Europe

Retraction Note: Patterns of niche filling and expansion across the invaded ranges of Halyomorpha halys in North America and Europe

Species diversity of pests of the suborder of shield bugs (Heteroptera) in agrocenoses of the Lazarevsky district of Sochi, Krasnodar Territory, Russia

Aim. The aim of the work was to study the species diversity of pests of the suborder of shield bugs (Heteroptera) in agrocenoses of the Lazarevsky district of Sochi.This paper presents data on the distribution, abundance and density of Heptoptera pest populations in this location. Heteroptera were gathered twice a month during the growing season (April to October) and weekly in the autumn‐winter period (November to March). The choice of registration date during the growing season was determined by the appearance of the first phytophagous individuals after wintering. Identification of the identified phytophages was carried out in the laboratories of the station according to generally accepted methods.The paper presents data on the distribution, abundance and density of pest populations of the suborder of shield bugs (Heteroptera) in the Lazarevsky district of Sochi, Krasnodar Territory. As a result of this research, the species composition of the most common species of bedbugs in this area has been revealed. The most harmful species noted were: berry shield Dolycoris baccarum Linnaeus, 1758; ornate shield Eurydema ornata Linnaeus, 1758; Green shield Nezara viridula Linnaeus, 1758; ruled shield Graphosoma lineatum Linnaeus, 1758; brown‐marbled bug Halyomorpha halys Stål, 1855; oak lace‐maker Corythucha arcuata Say, 1832; sycamore lace‐maker Corythucha ciliata Say; pear lace‐maker Stephanitis pyri Fabricius and linden bug Oxycarenus lavaterae Fabricius, 1787.As a result of the research undertaken, an increase in the total number of bedbug populations, an expansion of trophic connections, an increase in aggressiveness and a change in the status of individual pest species were revealed.

Unrevealing the Halyomorpha halys Damage Fingerprint on Hazelnut Metabolome by Multiomic Platforms and AI-Aided Strategies.

The brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) poses a significant threat to hazelnut crops by affecting kernel development and causing quality defects, reducing the market value. While previous studies have identified bitter-tasting compounds in affected kernels, the impact of stink bug feeding on the hazelnut metabolome, particularly concerning aroma precursors, remains underexplored. This study aims to map the nonvolatile metabolome and volatilome of hazelnut samples obtained by caging H. halys on different cultivars in two locations to identify markers for diagnosing stink bug damage. Using a multiomic approach involving headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME), comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC × GC-TOF MS), and liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS), both raw and roasted hazelnuts are analyzed, with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning tools employed to explore data correlations. The study finds that the hazelnut metabolome and volatilome exhibit high chemical complexity with significant classes of compounds such as aldehydes, ketones, alcohols, and terpenes identified in both raw and roasted hazelnuts. Multivariate analysis indicates that the orchard location significantly impacts the metabolome, followed by damage type, with cultivar differences being less pronounced. Partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) models achieve high predictive accuracy for orchard location (99%) and damage type (≈80%), with the roasted volatilome showing the highest predictive accuracy. Correlation matrices reveal significant relationships between raw hazelnut metabolites and aroma compounds in roasted samples, suggesting potential markers for stink bug damage that could guide the quality assessment and mitigation strategies. Data fusion techniques further enhance classification performance, particularly in predicting damage type, underscoring the potential of integrating multiple data sets for comprehensive quality assessment.

Quantitative and qualitative damage caused by Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) on soybean crop at different growth stages

The brown marmorated stink bug Halyomorpha halys, an invasive species native to East Asia, is now present and abundant on soybean throughout Europe where it has become a major pest damaging the crop. Because a better understanding of the impact of H. halys is crucial to implement effective and sustainable pest management, the present study aimed to assess the stages at which soybean is most susceptible to H. halys attacks, and the qualitative and quantitative alterations caused by its feeding on soybean seeds. Therefore, soybean plants were exposed to stink bug adults for 2 weeks at different development stages and were examined at harvest for damage. Stay-green syndrome occurred most severely as a result of H. halys attacks at soybean development stages R4-R5. In the same period, the bug feeding activity significantly reduced the number of seeds per pod, thus indicating a higher damage rate at the R4-R5 stage when soybean surveillance should be intensified in order to properly target pest management strategies. The lower number of seeds per pod corresponded to an increase in the seed weight due to plant compensation mechanisms, leading to grain yields that did not differ in relation to the time of attack or the rate of damaged seeds. However, while not causing overall a loss of weight production, H. halys attacks were shown to cause qualitative damage to soybean seeds, especially by altering protein content and mobilizing several primary metabolites from storage macromolecules, which will have to be considered depending on the intended use of the production.

Evaluation of chemical compounds as repellents of the brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys [Stål

Evaluation of chemical compounds as repellents of the brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys [Stål

Impact of Aggregation Pheromone Traps on Spatial Distribution of Halyomorpha halys Damage in Apple Orchards.

Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is an invasive pest causing significant damage to tree crops. Our study examined the impact of newly designed aggregation pheromone-baited 'mini-sailboat' (MSB) traps for controlling H. halys and its effect on the spatial distribution of fruit damage. Four replicates of four traps, with a total of 16 MSB traps, were placed along a 1.3 km border of apple orchards, concentrating the traps on one side of the orchards. A fruit damage assessment for incidence and severity was conducted at increasing distances from the orchard border where the traps were placed, encompassing 107 assessment points. Our study showed that deploying MSB traps along the orchard border significantly increased fruit damage within the first 45 m compared to control plots without traps. However, beyond the first 45 m from the border, there was a significant reduction in damage incidence. In the treated plots, 50% of the damage occurred within 26 m of the traps, while in control plots, within 85 m. Shifting the fruit damage pattern means restricting the pests lingering in a narrow strip near the MSB traps, which paves the way for improved techniques to restructure the crop perimeter.

Identification and phylogenetic of cysteine peptidase genes from the bamboo pest Hippotiscus dorsalis, based on RNA-seq and PacBio Iso-Seq

One of the insects that cause the most damage to Moso bamboos in the southern regions of China is Hippotiscus dorsalis (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae). However, the study of molecular and growth development analysis is limited because its genetic resources are still in the blank stage. In order to improve our knowledge of the molecular traits of this insect pest, we first generated the transcriptome from H dorsalis using PacBio Iso-Seq. With an average length of 1495 bp, 207,663 nonredundant full-length reads were produced. Using five databases, we annotated 36,238 transcripts: Uniprot (24,388), GO (1160), NR (24,110), Pfam (9333), and KEGG (14,497). According to aligning of each transcript in the NR database, most of them (85.147 %) were annotated into the functional genes from Halyomorpha halys. In the meantime, we discovered 33,689 long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), 4408 transcription factors (TFs), and 586 alternative splicing (AS) events, which involved in transcriptional regulation. Additionally, the candidate cathepsin genes from the bamboo pest were examined in order to comprehend how they adapted to their host. To sum up, our findings offer a fresh resource for comprehensive transcriptional data and insights into the genetics and gene expression of H dorsalis.

Edge effects of invasive brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys, infestation and damage in almond orchards

Edge effects of invasive brown marmorated stink bug, <i>Halyomorpha halys</i>, infestation and damage in almond orchards

Parasitic behaviour and developmental morphology of Anastatus japonicus reared on the factitious host Antheraea pernyi.

The egg parasitoid Anastatus japonicus is a key natural enemy in the biological control of various agricultural and forestry pests. It is particularly used against the brown marmorated stink bug Halyomorpha halys and the emerging defoliator pest Caligula japonica in East Asia. It has been proved that the eggs of Antheraea pernyi can be used as a factitious host for the mass production of A. japonicus. This study systematically documented the parasitic behaviour and developmental morphology exhibited by A. japonicus on the eggs of A. pernyi. The parasitic behaviour of A. japonicus encompassed ten steps including searching, antennation, locating, digging, probing, detecting, oviposition, host-feeding, grooming, and resting. Oviposition, in particular, was observed to occur in three stages, with the parasitoids releasing eggs during the second stage when the body remained relatively static. Among all the steps of parasitic behaviour, probing accounted for the longest time, constituting 33.1% of the whole time. It was followed by digging (19.3%), oviposition (18.5%), antennation (9.6%), detecting (7.4%), and the remaining steps, each occupying less than 5.0% of the total event time. The pre-emergence of adult A. japonicus involves four stages: egg (0 to 2nd day), larva (3rd to 9th day), pre-pupa (10th to 13th day), pupa (14th to 22nd day), and subsequent development into an adult. Typically, it takes 25.60 ± 0.30 days to develop from an egg to an adult at 25℃. This information increases the understanding of the biology of A. japonicus and may provide a reference for optimising reproductive devices.

Effect of the Localized Insecticides Spray Technique to Control Halyomorpha halys in Actinidia chinensis Orchards.

Kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis) cultivation is expanding worldwide, with China, New Zealand, and Italy being the major producing countries. Halyomorpha halys, the brown marmorated stink bug, is raising serious concerns to kiwifruit cultivation both in China and Italy. This study aimed at improving the chemical control efficacy against this pest by comparing two insecticide spray techniques (a conventional ray atomizer and a trumpet-modified atomizer adapted for localized spray application) in kiwifruit. In fact, kiwifruit is often grown with a 'pergola' training system, which may reduce the effectiveness of insecticide penetration into the canopy. Experiments were performed in naturally infested orchards of both Actinidia chinensis var. chinensis 'Jintao' and A. chinensis var. deliciosa 'Hayward'. Furthermore, mesh cages containing H. halys adults were deployed within orchards to assess the insects' mortality at 1, 3, 7, and 10 days after an insecticide application with two spray techniques during two consecutive seasons. In the cultivar 'Jintao', the two systems performed similarly, while in the cultivar 'Hayward', an overall significantly higher insect mortality was recorded with the trumpet atomizer (94-100%) compared to the conventional atomizer (59-78%). Crop damage was also evaluated on both cultivars, simulating the grower insecticide applications with the two spray techniques. At harvest, no difference emerged between the spray techniques, which provided a significantly better protection compared to the untreated control (12-17% compared to 33-47% of injured fruits). Further investigations in this direction are needed also considering the restriction of insecticidal active substances ongoing in the European Union and the need to maximize the efficacy of the available tools.

Field evaluation of symbiont-targeted control of Halyomorpha halys in hazelnut crop

Halyomorpha halys has emerged as one of the most damaging pests for hazelnut production. Due to the continuous reduction of available options for chemical control, alternative strategies are required. A promising and sustainable alternative is the use of symbiont-targeted control. Treatment of the egg surface with a biocomplex containing copper, zinc, and citric acid has been shown to effectively prevent the acquisition of the endosymbiont ‘Candidatus Pantoea carbekii’ by H. halys nymphs, resulting in high nymph mortality under laboratory conditions. The aim of this work was to assess the field efficacy of treatments targeting the H. halys symbiont in hazelnut orchards to optimize spray applications. Treatments with the anti-symbiont biocomplex were performed in an orchard infested with H. halys during 2022 and 2023. To assess product efficacy, H. halys egg masses were glued on cardboard tags and hung on different positions of plants canopy before the treatments. The wetting percentage of egg masses according to the position of the egg on the plant canopy was measured; eggs were then reared to evaluate nymphal mortality after hatching. Symbiont acquisition was measured by quantitative PCR. A preliminary test to set the spraying conditions revealed that a higher fan speed induced higher mortality of the newborns from treated egg masses, although it did not affect the wetting rate of cardboards. In addition, cardboard tags hung in the central part of the canopy and those closer to the sprayer showed the highest egg coverage, whereas those in the peripheral row were less covered. However, nymphal mortality was not correlated with the percentage of cardboard tags coverage, although it was correlated with symbiont acquisition. A significant reduction in the percentage of damaged hazelnuts was observed in the treated plot compared to an untreated control, confirming the efficacy of symbiont-targeted control in hazelnut orchards.

What's on the menu? A novel molecular gut content analysis to investigate the feeding behavior of phytophagous insects.

The relationship between phytophagous insects and plants is a central aspect of food webs and ecosystem functioning. The introduction of new species into an environment can have significant impacts on the food web of a native ecosystem. In many cases, there is a lack of knowledge on the biology and feeding behavior of invasive species prior their introduction and in the invaded regions. Gut content analyses of insects have provided valuable information on the host spectrum of insects. However, current approaches are time-consuming and costly. Here, we describe a new molecular gut content analysis (GCA) approach using the Oxford Nanopore (ONT) Flongle sequencing platform to characterize the plant DNA present in the gut of the highly polyphagous insect species Halyomorpha halys. We demonstrate that this technique efficiently amplifies and correctly identifies plant DNA in a mock community. We performed a feeding experiment to determine the sensitivity of this approach and to assess how long the plant DNA can be detected. All plants used in the feeding experiment were correctly identified and detected after 56 days. Surprisingly, we also detected various plant genera that were not included in the feeding experiment and thus were likely ingested months before the experiment. Our study suggests that the GCA using the ONT Flongle sequencing platform represents a rapid and cost-efficient diagnosis of the dietary preferences, host range, and the diversity of consumed plant species of pest insects with high precision.

The hawk eye scan: Halyomorpha halys detection relying on aerial tele photos and neural networks

This paper faces the challenge of monitoring the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (H.halys) (Halyomorpha halys) within orchards, utilizing drones, and computer vision. H.halys is an invasive species originating from East Asia, that is extremely polyphagous and poses a significant threat to various crops. Our first contribution is a drone navigation protocol, which ensures risk-free drone flights in cluttered orchard environments, preserving image quality and avoiding obstacles. We then create a pioneering H.halys dataset consisting of aerial telephotos captured in the field autonomously by the drone. The dataset allows the development and evaluation for the first time of multiple ML models for H.halys detection in the field. We trained YOLOv5, YOLOv8, RetinaNet, and Faster-RCNN models using different learning methodologies, exploiting different percentages of images without the bug, and using different slicing procedures for the images. The Medium YOLOv5 model trained with all images containing a bug detects the largest number of H.halys on the testing set and overall performs the best, while RetinaNet and Faster-RCNN provide the best trade-off between precision and recall. Models vary in their ability to handle occluded H.halys and bug-free images, which are common since the presence of the bug cannot be predicted before capturing a photo. These results show promising potential for automating H.halys monitoring, despite the image complexity and the early dataset stage. Our work marks a significant step towards enhancing smart agriculture practices due to the simplicity of the data acquisition process and the off-the-shelf hardware selection.

Influence of deployment method and maintenance on efficacy of sticky card traps for Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae).

Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is an invasive pest which feeds on numerous economically significant crops. Many integrated pest management strategies for this species rely on effective season-long monitoring for H. halys populations, including attract-and-kill and threshold-based insecticide sprays. Previous studies have shown that a black pyramid trap effectively captures all mobile life stages of H. halys, however, these bulky, ground-deployed traps can be impractical in active orchard rows. Clear sticky cards have been used as a more practical tool for monitoring when paired with the H. halys aggregation pheromone and synergist. Here, the efficacy of deploying single- or double-sided sticky cards hanging in trees or deployed on wooden stakes was compared to standard black pyramid traps over 2 years. The efficacy of single-sided sticky cards deployed on wooden stakes was also evaluated after occlusion of 25%, 50%, or 75% of the surface area by 2D inert materials and 3D organic matter. Single-sided sticky cards were also exposed to simulated sunlight and rainfall for 0, 4, 8, and 12 wk before deployment on wooden stakes. Captures of H. halys adults using sticky cards deployed on wooden stakes were comparable to pyramid traps. Occlusion of cards by 25% or more of any material type led to a decrease in H. halys captures, however, weathering did not influence capture. These data show that clear sticky cards deployed on wooden stakes are effective for season-long monitoring of H. halys in apple orchards, and card replacement should be driven by maintenance of cleanliness.

Decision fusion-based system to detect two invasive stink bugs in orchards

Accurate and early detection of insect pests plays an important role in crop protection and pest management in agriculture, especially in orchards. This paper is focused on evaluating and improving the performance of insect detection algorithms by adopting an ensemble approach of artificial neural networks. A set of advanced object detection models including YOLOv8, Faster R-CNN, RetinaNet, SSD, and FCOS were selected, and the models were trained and evaluated on a common dataset representing digital images of different insect species pests. Two classes were considered represented by quite similar invasive stink bugs, Halyomorpha Halys and Nezara Viridula. These architectures were optimized to identify significant peculiarities and variations between reference insects, including size, shape, and color. Each model has been implemented and optimized to achieve the best possible performance before integrating into an ensemble system. By integrating the predictions of these models through a weighted ensemble mechanism that leverages the F1 Score of each model, a more performant global system was developed capable of detecting insect pests with improved performance over individual models. This significant improvement in insect detection highlights the potential of the proposed ensemble system in efficient and rapid insect pest identification, ultimately providing valuable opportunities for implementing crop monitoring technologies. The research highlights the importance of implementing and developing deep-learning technologies for solving specific challenges in agriculture and brings innovative ways of strategic pest management for sustainable agricultural practices.

Assessing geographic dimensions of biological control for Halyomorpha halys in United States

Assessing geographic dimensions of biological control for Halyomorpha halys in United States