Pentatomidae Research Articles

Nanocarrier mediated delivery of insecticides into tarsi enhances stink bug mortality.

Current delivery practices for insecticide active ingredients are inefficient with only a fraction reaching their intended target. Herein, we developed carbon dot based nanocarriers with molecular baskets (γ-cyclodextrin) that enhance the delivery of active ingredients into insects (southern green stink bugs, Nezara viridula L.) via their tarsal pores. Nezara viridula feeds on leguminous plants worldwide and is a primary pest of soybeans. After two days of exposure, most of the nanocarriers and their active ingredient cargo (>85%) remained on the soybean leaf surface, rendering them available to the insects. The nanocarriers enter stink bugs through their tarsi, enhancing the delivery of a fluorescent chemical cargo by 2.6 times. The insecticide active ingredient nanoformulation (10 ppm) was 25% more effective in controlling the stink bugs thanthe active ingredient alone. Styletectomy experiments indicated that the improved active ingredient efficacy was due to the nanoformulation entering through the insect tarsal pores, consistent with fluorescent chemical cargo assays. This new nanopesticide approach offers efficient active ingredient delivery and improved integrated pest management for a more sustainable agriculture.

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.

Distribution and Abundance of Pine Needle Aphids (Eulachnus rileyi Williams) and Their Potential Natural Enemies on Pine Tree Species (Pinus patula and Pinus elliottii) at Sao Hill Forest Plantation, Tanzania

A study was conducted at SHFP, Tanzania to assess the distribution and abundance of PNA and their potential natural enemies. Systematic sampling was used to select every 5th tree along the row of the particular compartment. Five shoots were randomly cut from lower, middle and upper crown parts of each selected tree for laboratory analysis. Data analysis was performed using R and Excel, with normality and homogeneity of variance checked using Shapiro-Wilk and Levene’s tests, respectively. Results revealed that PNA was un-equally distributed throughout the divisions, trees species and age classes at SHFP. The abundance of adult aphids per twig was 7.6 and 12.9 for Division II and III, respectively and was significantly different. Similarly, the mean abundance of eggs and nymphs per twig were 5.5 and 12.2 in Division II and 9.2 and 21.1 in Division III, respectively. Nymphs were more abundant than eggs and adults, while eggs were the least abundant across all examined pine species and age classes. The abundance of adult aphid was 19.6 and 7.0 for P. elliottii and P. patula, respectively and was significantly different. For P. patula, the abundance of adult aphid per twig was 7.3, 8.5 and 5.1 for young, middle and old age classes respectively. In P. elliottii stands, the abundance of adult aphid population per twig was 23.2 and 17.9 for middle and old age classes respectively. The middle part of the tree crown had the highest aphid abundance for both tree species and age classes. Three main natural enemies were identified: Coccinellid beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), Spiders (Arachnida) and Stink bugs (Pentatomidae), but their numbers were low. The correlation between the abundance of PNA and natural enemies was weakly positive (Rho = 0.0859) but statistically significant (p = 0.035). Tending operations i.e. thinning, weeding, pruning, and regular insect survey and monitoring programs, are recommended to mitigate favorable conditions for aphid growth. Additionally, the SHFP management team should reconsider the introduction and release of Tetraphleps raoi or other predators as biological control agents over large area to increase the current stock of the natural enemies as there were no introduce natural enemies found in the plantation

Effect of individual quick freezing treatment and cold storage on the host egg (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) quality for the production of the parasitoid Anastatus japonicus Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae)

BackgroundThe augmentative release of the parasitoid species Anastatus japonicus Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae) is essential for managing the recent invasion of litchi stink bugs (Tessaratoma papillosa (Drury)) (Hemiptera: Tessaratomidae) in Taiwan. The mass release program in the spring targets this univoltine pest’s reproduction cycle. Low-temperature storage for the host eggs and parasitoids is required to maximize the production for the annual release program. This study aimed to enhance the shelf life of Samia cynthia (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) eggs using the combination of refrigeration and individual quick freezing (IQF) as a storage treatment. Storage of A. japonicus in the IQF-treated S. cynthia eggs was evaluated to determine the optimal production process during the short preparation window before the release.ResultsThe influences of cold storage and IQF treatment on the host eggs were evaluated for different storage durations. The host quality was determined according to the emergence rate and female ratio of A. japonicus. The study’s results demonstrated that the host quality of S. cynthia eggs did not change significantly compared to the control group after 28 d of refrigeration at 7 °C. IQF treatment extended S. cyathia’s shelf life to 5 months without significantly affecting the host quality. Applying IQF at different developmental stages of the host eggs affected the parasitism rates of A. japonicus. Significantly higher emergence rates of A. japonicus were recorded in the eggs treated during the initial development (D0 to D2). However, storing parasitoids in the IQF-treated eggs under the current storage condition for one month at 12 °C significantly impacted the parasitoid’s emergence rate.ConclusionsThe results of this study highlight the potential benefits of the individual quick freezing technique. This technique didn’t alter the egg quality of S. cynthia, a crucial factor for the mass production of A. japonicus. The IQF treatment extends the shelf life of the host eggs to 5 months when stored at − 20 °C, a significant improvement compared to the 4-week shelf life without IQF treatment. This technology offers a promising and efficient approach for the mass production of A. japonicus and supports field releases. The treatment allowed for the stockpiling of host eggs during the off-season, which can help expedite the mass production of A. japonicus to fit an eight-week production window.

Euschistus heros: Economic injury level and economic threshold of early maturing carioca common bean cultivar

Early maturing common-bean cultivars lack information referring to Euschistus heros (Fabricius, 1798) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) feeding damage assessment. This information is pertinent towards establishing economic threshold for an integrated pest management program. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship, between the density of stink bugs and the degree of injuries towards the pod and grain production, quantity and quality, of the IPR Curió cultivar. The experiments were conducted during two seasons at the IDR-Paraná in Londrina, Paraná, in field conditions. The experimental design was randomized blocks with five repetitions. The treatments were: 0 (control); 1; 2; 3; 4; 5 E. heros m-1. The evaluated variables were number of grained and flat pods; healthy, damaged and aborted grain mass; grain yield. The economic injury level (EIL), economic threshold (ET) and spraying efficiency influence on the ET were calculated. The total number of grained pods was not affected. More than three brown stink bugs, during the summer season, significantly increases flat pod output. The rainy season resulted in greater aborted grains. Increasing E. heros densities, during the summer season, significantly reduces the healthy grain output. The damaged grain mass doubles at higher than one E. heros population densities. The total grain mass produced was not affected. During the summer season, each E. heros reduces 11% of healthy grain output, and during the rainy season 6%. During the summer season was 1.50 of E. heros m-1 and for the rainy season 1.00 E. heros m-1. The spraying efficiency should directly affect the EIL, modifying the value, thus better resembling the field conditions.

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

Improving the Efficiency and Safety of Sentinel Stink Bug Eggs Using X-rays.

Sentinel eggs used to monitor field parasitism of stink bug pests (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) can only be deployed for a few days to avoid releasing the pest in the monitored area. Using sterile eggs removes the risk of accidental pest introduction and extends deployment time. Freezing the eggs before deployment is one common method of sterilizing sentinel eggs. However, some egg parasitoid species have low or no parasitism on frozen eggs. In this study, X-ray irradiation was used to sterilize Bagrada hilaris sentinel eggs intended for monitoring parasitism by Gryon aetherium (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae), the most promising biological control candidate. In this case, freezing sentinel eggs is not recommended because G. aetherium has low levels of parasitism on frozen eggs. Doses as low as 10 Gy induced 100% sterility. Irradiated eggs successfully sustained the development of G. aetherium and Ooencyrtus californicus (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), another egg parasitoid attacking B. hilaris, and parasitism levels were comparable to that of fresh eggs up to seven days old. In addition, G. aetherium showed no preference for fresh non-irradiated eggs over seven-day-old irradiated eggs. Our results indicate that X-ray irradiation is a suitable alternative to produce safe and reliable sentinel eggs to monitor the egg parasitism of B. hilaris and possibly other species.

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

Checklist and key to species of stink bugs (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Pentatomidae) of Kentucky, United States of America.

Stink bugs (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) have received a lot of attention as there are many economically important pest species. However, the status of species richness, distribution, and taxonomy remain overlooked and outdated in Kentucky (USA). Having such information at a regional scale is crucial to allow the development of suitable pest management and conservation programs. Here, the stink bug fauna of Kentucky was examined from museum specimens, literature, and public online repositories. Overall, 42 species in 28 genera and three subfamilies (Asopinae, Podopinae, and Pentatominae) are listed from Kentucky. Thirteen species are new records for Kentucky, 10 species are considered to be of economic importance and eight are strict predators. Pictures of species are provided along with the first key for the identification of the stink bug species of Kentucky.

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.

Microbial Community Structure and Metabolic Function in the Venom Glands of the Predatory Stink Bug, Picromerus lewisi (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae).

The predatory stink bug, Picromerus lewisi (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is an important and valuable natural enemy of insect pests in their ecosystems. While insects are known to harbor symbiotic microorganisms, and these microbial symbionts play a crucial role in various aspects of the host's biology, there is a paucity of knowledge regarding the microbiota present in the venom glands of P. lewisi. This study investigated the venom glands of adult bugs using both traditional in vitro isolation and cultural methods, as well as Illumina high-throughput sequencing technology. Additionally, the carbon metabolism of the venom gland's microorganisms was analyzed using Biolog ECO metabolic phenotyping technology. The results showed 10 different culturable bacteria where the dominant ones were Enterococcus spp. and Lactococcus lactis. With high-throughput sequencing, the main bacterial phyla in the microbial community of the venom glands of P. lewisi were Proteobacteria (78.1%) and Firmicutes (20.3%), with the dominant bacterial genera being Wolbachia, Enterococcus, Serratia, and Lactococcus. At the fungal community level, Ascomycota accounted for the largest proportion (64.1%), followed by Basidiomycota (27.6%), with Vishniacozyma, Cladosporium, Papiliotrema, Penicillium, Fusarium, and Aspergillus as the most highly represented fungal genera. The bacterial and fungal community structure of the venom glands of P. lewisi exhibited high species richness and diversity, along with a strong metabolism of 22 carbon sources. Functional prediction indicated that the primary dominant function of P. lewisi venom-gland bacteria was metabolism. The dominant eco-functional groups of the fungal community included undefined saprotroph, fungal parasite-undefined saprotroph, unassigned, endophyte-plant pathogen, plant pathogen-soil saprotroph-wood saprotroph, animal pathogen-endophyte-plant pathogen-wood saprotroph, plant pathogen, and animal pathogen-endophyte-epiphyte-plant pathogen-undefined saprotroph. These results provide a comprehensive characterization of the venom-gland microbiota of P. lewisi and demonstrate the stability (over one week) of the microbial community within the venom glands. This study represents the first report on the characterization of microbial composition from the venom glands of captive-reared P. lewisi individuals. The insights gained from this study are invaluable for future investigations into P. lewisi's development and the possible interactions between P. lewisi's microbiota and some Lepidopteran pests.

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.

Past, present and future of the two-spotted stink bug (Perillus bioculatus) in Europe revealed by citizen science

The introduction of the Nearctic predaceous stink bug species, (Perillus bioculatus) was attempted multiple times in various countries throughout Europe to mitigate the damage caused by the invasive and harmful pest species, the Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata). Though these attempts were thought to be unsuccessful for decades, more recent data elucidated that the species have established small self-sustaining populations in the Balkans Peninsula, Southern Russia, and Türkiye and recently began to expand. In the past years, the European range of the species reached Eastern Europe. After the first individuals were found in Hungary in October 2023 a citizen science campaign was launched to investigate the distribution of the species in the country. By June 2024 it became evident that the species is established throughout the country. Furthermore, observations regarding beetle larvae and moth caterpillars as alternative prey were reported supporting the previous assumptions that the naturalization and expansion of the species in Europe is facilitated by dietary drift. Here, we summarize the knowledge on the European presence of the two-spotted stink bug and formulate hypotheses regarding its future distribution and the impact of the species on the insect communities of the newly colonized areas.

Conservation biological control of stink bugs: current knowledge and future perspectives

Conservation biological control of stink bugs: current knowledge and future perspectives

Inoculative releases of Telenomus podisi Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) for management of the stink bug complex in soybean crops

Inoculative releases of Telenomus podisi Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) for management of the stink bug complex in soybean crops

Exploring multigene families of odorant binding proteins and cytochrome P450 monooxygenases in the stink bug pest complex through comparative transcriptomics

Exploring multigene families of odorant binding proteins and cytochrome P450 monooxygenases in the stink bug pest complex through comparative transcriptomics

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.

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.