Scholarly Works, Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station

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https://hdl.handle.net/10919/24309
VAES faculty are located at 11 Agricultural Research and Extension Centers in Virginia and three colleges at Virginia Tech (CALS, CNRE, and VMRCVM).

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Browsing Scholarly Works, Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station by Author "Acebes-Doria, Angelita L."

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    Behavioral Response of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) to Semiochemicals Deployed Inside and Outside Anthropogenic Structures During the Overwintering Period
    Morrison, William R. III; Acebes-Doria, Angelita L.; Ogburn, Emily C.; Kuhar, Thomas P.; Walgenbach, James F.; Bergh, J. Christopher; Nottingham, Louis B.; DiMeglio, Anthony S.; Hipkins, Patricia A.; Leskey, Tracy C. (2017-06)
    The brownmarmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stal), is an invasive species from Asia capable of causing severe agricultural damage. It can also be a nuisance pest when it enters and exits anthropogenic overwintering sites. In recent years, pheromone lures and traps for H. halys have been developed and used to monitor populations in field studies. To date, no study has investigated the applicability of these monitoring tools for use indoors by building residents during the overwintering period. Herein, we 1) assessed when in late winter (diapause) and spring (postdiapause) H. halys begins to respond to its pheromone (10,11-epoxy-1-bisabolen-3-ol), 2) evaluated whether pheromone-based tools can be used reliably for monitoring H. halys adults in unheated and heated buildings, and 3) elucidated the potential for indoor management using pheromone-baited traps. A 2-yr trapping study suggested that H. halys began to respond reliably to pheromone-baited traps after a critical photoperiod of 13.5h in the spring. Captures before that point were not correlated with visual counts of bugs in buildings despite robust populations, suggesting currently available pheromone-baited traps were ineffective for surveillance of diapausing H. halys. Finally, because baited traps captured only 8-20% of the adult H. halys known to be present per location, they were not an effective indoor management tool for overwintering H. halys. Our study contributes important knowledge about the capacity of H. halys to perceive its pheromone during overwintering, and the ramifications thereof for building residents with nuisance problems.
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    Development and comparison of trunk traps to monitor movement of Halyomorpha halys nymphs on host trees
    Acebes-Doria, Angelita L.; Leskey, Tracy C.; Bergh, J. Christopher (2016-01)
    Halyomorpha halys Stal (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) has recently become a major orchard pest in the Mid-Atlantic, USA. Large H. halys populations can develop on wild tree hosts adjacent to orchards, posing an ongoing threat to fruit. Adults and nymphs feed on tree fruit, causing economic injury. Understanding the seasonal patterns of nymphal host use among trees at the orchard-woodland interface may aid the development of integrated pest management strategies for this pest. In laboratory and field experiments, modified versions of published trap designs - 'Circle', 'Hanula', 'M&M' (after Moeed & Meads) traps - were compared for their effectiveness for capturing H. halys nymphs walking up and down tree trunks. In the laboratory, second instars were released at the top and bottom of ailanthus (tree of heaven), Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle (Simaroubaceae), logs and captures were recorded after 24 h. Circle and M&M traps, respectively, were most effective for capturing nymphs walking up and down. In the field, traps were deployed on ailanthus trees next to apple orchards and captures were recorded weekly from 24 July to 11 September 2013. As in the laboratory, Circle and M&M traps captured the greatest number of upward- and downward-walking nymphs. Hanula traps were least effective in both experiments. In the field, 88% of total captures were of nymphs walking up trees. This was at least partially explained by behavioral assays in the laboratory demonstrating that nymphs exhibited negative gravitaxis and positive phototaxis. Stage-specific trends in captures of instars walking up during field sampling were observed. These results suggest that trunk traps can be used to address important ecological questions about seasonal patterns of host use by H. halys nymphs.
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    Host Plant Effects on Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) Nymphal Development and Survivorship
    Acebes-Doria, Angelita L.; Leskey, Tracy C.; Bergh, J. Christopher (2016-06)
    Halyomorpha halys (Stal) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is a highly polyphagous invasive species and an important pest of orchard crops in the United States. In the Mid-Atlantic region, wild hosts of H. halys are common in woodlands that often border orchards, and H. halys movement from them into orchards poses ongoing management issues. To improve our understanding of host plant effects on H. halys populations at the orchard-woodland interface, nymphal survivorship, developmental duration, and adult fitness (size and fresh weight) on apple (Malus domestica Borkh.), peach (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch), Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle), and northern catalpa (Catalpa speciosa (Warder)) were examined in laboratory studies. Specifically, we investigated nymphal performance on the foliage and fruiting structures of those hosts and on single-versus mixed-host diets, as well as the effects of host phenology on their suitability. Nymphal performance was poor on a diet of foliage alone, regardless of host. When fruiting structures were combined with foliage, peach was highly suitable for nymphal development and survivorship, whereas apple, Tree of Heaven, and catalpa were less so, although nymphal survival on Tree of Heaven was much greater later in the season than earlier. Mixed-host diets yielded increased nymphal survivorship and decreased developmental duration compared with diets of suboptimal single hosts. Adult size and weight were generally greater when they developed from nymphs reared on mixed diets. The implications of our results to the dispersal behavior, establishment, and management of H. halys are discussed.
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    Improved Trap Designs and Retention Mechanisms for Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)
    Rice, Kevin B.; Morrison, William R.; Short, Brent D.; Acebes-Doria, Angelita L.; Bergh, J. Christopher; Leskey, Tracy C. (Oxford University Press, 2018-10-01)
    Current monitoring systems for the invasive Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera; Pentatomidae) in orchard agroecosystems rely on ground-deployed tall black pyramid traps baited with the two-component H. halys aggregation pheromone and pheromone synergist. Pyramid traps are comparatively costly, require considerable time to deploy and service, and may not be best suited to grower needs. Therefore, we evaluated other traps for H. halys, including modified pyramid traps (lures deployed on the outside), a canopy-deployed small pyramid, a pipe trap, delta traps, and yellow sticky cards in 2015 and 2016 in commercial apple and peach orchards. We also compared various H. halys killing agents for use in standard pyramid trap collection jars, including VaporTape kill strips, cattle ear tags, and plastic netting treated with various pyrethroids. Finally, we evaluated the effect of positioning the lures inside versus outside the collection jar on standard pyramid traps on overall captures. Among trap types, modified pyramid and pipe traps were most effective, capturing more adults than all other trap designs. Adult captures in small canopy-deployed pyramid, delta, and yellow sticky traps were lower, but significantly correlated with the standard black pyramid. Placing lures on the outside of collection jars on pyramid traps resulted in significantly greater captures and insecticide-impregnated netting was as effective for retaining bugs as VaporTape strips. These studies demonstrate that trapping systems for H. halys can be simplified and improved by modifying the trap design, lure deployment location, and/or killing agent.
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    Indigenous arthropod natural enemies of the invasive brown marmorated stink bug in North America and Europe
    Abram, Paul K.; Hoelmer, Kim A.; Acebes-Doria, Angelita L.; Andrews, Heather; Beers, Elizabeth H.; Bergh, J. Christopher; Bessin, Ric; Biddinger, David J.; Botch, Paul; Buffington, Matthew L.; Cornelius, Mary L.; Costi, Elena; Delfosse, Ernest S.; Dieckhoff, Christine; Dobson, Rachelyn; Donais, Zachary; Grieshop, Matthew; Hamilton, George; Haye, Tim; Hedstrom, Christopher; Herlihy, Megan V.; Hoddle, Mark S.; Hooks, Cerruti R. R.; Jentsch, Peter; Joshi, Neelendra K.; Kuhar, Thomas P.; Lara, Jesus; Lee, Jana C.; Legrand, Ana; Leskey, Tracy C.; Lowenstein, David; Maistrello, Lara; Mathews, Clarissa R.; Milnes, Joshua M.; Morrison, William R. III; Nielsen, Anne L.; Ogburn, Emily C.; Pickett, Charles H.; Poley, Kristin; Pote, John; Radl, James; Shrewsbury, Paula M.; Talamas, Elijah; Tavella, Luciana; Walgenbach, James F.; Waterworth, Rebeccah; Weber, Donald C.; Welty, Celeste; Wiman, Nik G. (2017-09)
    Since the establishment of the brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stal) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in North America and Europe, there has been a large, multi-group effort to characterize the composition and impact of the indigenous community of arthropod natural enemies attacking this invasive pest. In this review, we combine 98 indigenous natural enemy datasets spanning a variety of sampling methods, habitats, and geographic areas. To date, the vast majority of H. halys biological control research has focused on the egg stage, using sentinel egg masses to characterize indigenous parasitoid and predator communities and their contribution to H. halys egg mortality. Although egg parasitism and predation levels by indigenous natural enemies are low (typically <10% each) in most surveys, total egg mortality attributable to natural enemies can be higher (typically between 5 and 25%; up to 83%)-even though these values were likely underestimated in most cases because some mortality due to biological control was not recognized. In North America, where the most data are available, it appears that the relative prevalence of different indigenous parasitoid species varies among habitat types, particularly between crop and non-crop habitats. Predator species responsible for egg mortality are much less commonly identified, but appear to include a wide variety of generalist chewing and sucking predators. To date, studies of natural enemies attacking H. halys nymphs and adults are relatively rare. Based on our review, we identify a number of key research gaps and suggest several directions for future research.
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    Injury to apples and peaches at harvest from feeding by Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) nymphs early and late in the season
    Acebes-Doria, Angelita L.; Leskey, Tracy C.; Bergh, J. Christopher (2016-11)
    Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is an invasive species that has become an important orchard pest in the Mid-Atlantic region of the US. Adults and nymphs feed on tree fruit. Feeding injury from adults has been characterized but the injury from nymphs has not been examined systematically. Since the four plant-feeding instars of H. halys (second through fifth) differ substantially in size, it is plausible that the effects of their feeding on fruit injury and injury expression may differ among them. We compared feeding injury at harvest from young nymphs (second plus third instars), older nymphs (fourth plus fifth instars), and adults that were caged on 'Smoothee Golden' apples and 'Redhaven' peaches in early June (peach and apple), late July (peach), and late August (apple). Individual apples and peaches were caged at fruit set and assigned to the following treatments (n = 28/treatment): 1) control (no H. halys), 2) young nymphs or 3) adults early in the season, and 4) young nymphs, 5) older nymphs or 6) adults later in the season. Fruit in each treatment were exposed to 3-4 young nymphs, two older nymphs or 1-2 adults placed in the cages for 96 h and evaluated for external and internal feeding injury within 36 h after harvest. No injury was recorded from unexposed peaches or apples. The percentage of injured fruit and number of injuries per fruit varied significantly among the exposed treatments. Early season feeding by young nymphs yielded the least injury to peaches and apples. In apples, the highest percentage of injured fruit and number of injuries per fruit were caused by late season feeding by adults. In peaches, early season adult feeding produced the highest percentage of injured fruit and injuries per fruit. More internal than external injury was recorded on peach and no such difference was observed on apple. The implications of these findings on H. halys management in fruit orchards are discussed.
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    Invasion of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) into the United States: Developing a National Response to an Invasive Species Crisis Through Collaborative Research and Outreach Efforts
    Ludwick, Dalton; Morrison, William R. III; Acebes-Doria, Angelita L.; Agnello, Arthur M.; Bergh, J. Christopher; Buffington, Matthew L.; Hamilton, George C.; Harper, Jayson K.; Hoelmer, Kim A.; Krawczyk, Gregory; Kuhar, Thomas P.; Pfeiffer, Douglas G.; Nielsen, Anne L.; Rice, Kevin B.; Rodriguez-Saona, Cesar; Shearer, Peter W.; Shrewsbury, Paula M.; Talamas, Elijah J.; Walgenbach, James F.; Wiman, Nik G.; Leskey, Tracy C. (2020-03-11)
    Halyomorpha halys (Stal), the brown marmorated stink bug, is a globally invasive stink bug species. Its first major outbreak was in the United States, where it has caused millions of dollars in damage, threatened livelihoods of specialty crop growers and impacted row crop growers, and become an extreme nuisance pest in and around dwellings. The BMSB IPM Working Group, funded by the Northeastern IPM Center, was central to providing a mechanism to form a multidisciplinary team and develop initial and subsequent research, Extension, regulatory and consumer priorities. Ultimately, a project team consisting of over 50 scientists from 11 institutions in 10 states obtained the largest ever USDA-NIFA Specialty Crop Research Initiative CAP grant, totaling over $10.7 million, to tackle this crisis over a 5-yr period (2011-2016). Researchers and Extension educators integrated stakeholder feedback throughout the course of the project, and priorities evolved according to needs of affected growers and public stakeholders. Initially, the team focused on identification of H. halys, its damage symptoms and crop-specific risks, and short-term mitigation strategies for crop protection. Subsequently, work focused on its biology, ecology, and behavior leading to the development of potential longer-term IPM tactics and landscape level management solutions, including biological control. This work continues under a second SCRI CAP grant (2016-2021). The information from the initial team reached an estimated 22,000 specialty crop stakeholder contacts via Extension efforts, and over 600 million people via mainstream media. We highlight the main lessons learned from coordinating a national response to the threat posed by H. halys to agriculture in the United States.
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    Season-Long Monitoring of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) Throughout the United States Using Commercially Available Traps and Lures
    Acebes-Doria, Angelita L.; Agnello, Arthur M.; Alston, Diane G.; Andrews, Heather; Beers, Elizabeth H.; Bergh, J. Christopher; Bessin, Ric; Blaauw, Brett R.; Buntin, G. David; Burkness, Eric C.; Chen, Shi; Cottrell, Ted E.; Daane, Kent M.; Fann, Lauren E.; Fleischer, Shelby J.; Guedot, Christelle; Gut, Larry J.; Hamilton, George C.; Hilton, Richard; Hoelmer, Kim A.; Hutchison, William D.; Jentsch, Peter; Krawczyk, Greg; Kuhar, Thomas P.; Lee, Jana C.; Milnes, Joshua M.; Nielsen, Anne L.; Patel, Dilani K.; Short, Brent D.; Sial, Ashfaq A.; Spears, Lori R.; Tatman, Kathy; Toews, Michael D.; Walgenbach, James D.; Welty, Celeste; Wiman, Nik G.; Van Zoeren, Janet; Leskey, Tracy C. (2020-02)
    Reliable monitoring of the invasive Halyomorpha halys abundance, phenology and geographic distribution is critical for its management. Halyomorpha halys adult and nymphal captures on clear sticky traps and in black pyramid traps were compared in 18 states across the Great Lakes, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Pacific Northwest and Western regions of the United States. Traps were baited with commercial lures containing the H. halys pheromone and synergist, and deployed at field sites bordering agricultural or urban locations with H. halys host plants. Nymphal and adult captures in pyramid traps were greater than those on sticky traps, but captures were positively correlated between the two trap types within each region and during the early-, mid- and late season across all sites. Sites were further classified as having a low, moderate or high relative H. halys density and again showed positive correlations between captures for the two trap types for nymphs and adults. Among regions, the greatest adult captures were recorded in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic on pyramid and sticky traps, respectively, with lowest captures recorded in the West. Nymphal captures, while lower than adult captures, were greatest in the Southeast and lowest in the West. Nymphal and adult captures were, generally, greatest during July-August and September-October, respectively. Trapping data were compared with available phenological models showing comparable population peaks at most locations. Results demonstrated that sticky traps offer a simpler alternative to pyramid traps, but both can be reliable tools to monitor H. halys in different geographical locations with varying population densities throughout the season.
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    Temporal and Directional Patterns of Nymphal Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) Movement on the Trunk of Selected Wild and Fruit Tree Hosts in the Mid-Atlantic Region
    Acebes-Doria, Angelita L.; Leskey, Tracy C.; Bergh, J. Christopher (2017-04)
    Halyomorpha halys (Sta (a) over circlel) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is an invasive and polyphagous herbivore that has been problematic in Mid-Atlantic fruit orchards, many of which are adjacent to woodlands containing its wild hosts. Our tree census in woodlands bordering 15 Mid-Atlantic apple orchards revealed 47 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, 76.6% of which were recorded hosts of H. halys. Tree of heaven was most common and abundant overall. Halyomorpha halys nymphs have a substantial walking dispersal capacity, and their fitness is enhanced by feeding on multiple hosts. Directional and temporal patterns of nymphal H. halys movement on selected wild hosts and apple and peach trees at the orchard-woodland interface were monitored in 2014 and 2015 using passive traps to capture nymphs walking up and down tree trunks. Weekly captures from mid-May to late September or mid-October were compared among hosts across both seasons. Despite higher total nymphal captures in 2014 than 2015, the seasonal trends for both years were similar and indicated bivoltine H. halys populations. In both years, more nymphs were intercepted while walking up than down and captures of upward-and downward-walking nymphs varied significantly among the hosts. All instars were captured, but captures of second instars predominated. Captures reflected seasonal changes in instar distribution and consisted predominantly of younger and older nymphs, early and later in the season, respectively. Results are discussed in relation to host and seasonal effects on the movement of nymphs at the orchard-woodland interface, and the implications for H. halys management.
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    Vertical Sampling in Tree Canopies for Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) Life Stages and its Egg Parasitoid, Trissolcus japonicus (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae)
    Quinn, Nicole F.; Talamas, Elijah J.; Acebes-Doria, Angelita L.; Leskey, Tracy C.; Bergh, J. Christopher (2019-02)
    The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stl) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is an invasive agricultural and nuisance pest that has established across much of the United States and caused significant crop losses in the Mid-Atlantic region. While it has been monitored extensively using ground-deployed pheromone traps, the vertical distribution of its life stages in the canopy of wild tree hosts has not been examined. In Virginia, small pyramid traps baited with low-dose H. halys pheromone lures were deployed via a pulley system at the lower, mid-, and upper canopy of female tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle) in 2016 and 2017 and male A. altissima and hackberry (Celtis occidentalis L.) in 2017. Weekly captures of adults and nymphs were recorded throughout each season. Each year, additional female A. altissima trees were felled during the two main periods of H. halys oviposition. The number and relative locations of all pentatomid egg masses found on foliage were recorded and any parasitoids that emerged from them were identified. Halyomorpha halys adults and nymphs were captured in greatest numbers in upper canopy traps and in lowest numbers in traps near the tree base. More H. halys egg masses were collected from mid-canopy than from the lower or upper canopy. The adventive egg parasitoid, Trissolcus japonicus (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae), emerged most frequently from egg masses found at mid-canopy and was not recovered from those in the lower canopy. Results are discussed in relation to the foraging ecology of H. halys and its natural enemies, including TT. japonicus.