Browsing by Subject "Stink bugs"

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    Improving Stink Bug Management in The Midwest: Understanding Dispersal Capacity and Developing Sampling Plans
    (2020-12) Carlesso Aita, Rafael
    Stink bugs are an emerging threat for horticultural and field crops in the North Central Region of the United States. This threat can be attributed to the increase in abundance of Pentatomidae species native to North America over the years, and to the spread of invasive stink bugs throughout this region, in particular, the brown marmorated stink bug, (Halyomorpha halys). There is a lack of decision-making frameworks that provide more efficient sampling for stink bugs in soybean for this region, and there is a need to understand the dispersal capacities of laboratory-reared H. halys. Therefore, my research developed more efficient sampling for herbivorous stink bugs in this region and assessed the dispersal capacity of H. halys under laboratory conditions. First, I developed a binomial or decision-making sequential sampling plan for herbivorous stink bugs by using data from 11 states of the North Central Region. Results showed that using a tally threshold of 3 stink bugs per 25 sweeps for action thresholds corresponding to the current action thresholds of 5 (soybean grown for seeds) and 10 (soybean grown for grain) stink bugs per 25 sweeps, provided the best sampling outcomes in terms of efficiency and accuracy. In addition, we showed that 18 and 12 sample units, for action thresholds of 5 and 10 stink bugs per 25 sweeps respectively, would be needed for reliable decision-making sampling. The development of a binomial sequential sampling plan for stink bugs in soybean should provide increased efficiency with regards to the number of sample units required to reach a management decision. Secondly, I assessed the effects of starvation, age, mating status, and pre-flight weight on flight parameters of laboratory-reared H. halys using flight mills. Although some statistical differences were observed across the experiments, these differences represented minimum ecological significance. These results could reflect the resilience of H. halys as a successive invasive species to North America and could help predict the dispersal potential of this species in Minnesota. The results of my thesis will provide valuable information to fine-tune integrated pest management strategies for stink bugs in the North Central Region, enabling more efficient scouting for growers and consultants as well as better forecasting the dispersal capacity of an important invasive species to the region.