Browsing by Author "Aigner, Benjamin L."

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    Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) Infestations in Tree Borders and Subsequent Patterns of Abundance in Soybean Fields
    Aigner, Benjamin L.; Kuhar, Thomas P.; Herbert, D. Ames Jr.; Brewster, Carlyle C.; Hogue, J. W.; Aigner, John D. (Oxford University Press, 2017-04-01)
    The invasive brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Sta° l) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is an important pest of soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) in the Mid-Atlantic United States. In order to assess the influence of nonmanaged wooded borders on H. halys infestation patterns in soybean, 12 soybean fields in Orange and Madison Counties, VA, were sampled each week from July to October in 2013 or 2014 for H. halys. At each location, five 2-min visual counts of H. halys life stages were made on tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima Mill.) and other favorable host trees along a wooded border, on the adjacent soybean edge, 15 m into the soybean field, and 30 m into the field. Seasonal data showed a clear trend at all locations of H. halys densities building up on A. altissima-dominated wooded borders in July, then, gradually moving into adjacent soybean field edges later in the summer. Halyomorpha halys did not move far from the invading field edge, with approximately half as many bugs being present at 15 m into the field and very few being detected 30 m into the field. These results have implications for continued monitoring and management using field border sprays, particularly on edges adjacent to woods.
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    Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, Biology and Management in Mid-Atlantic Soybeans
    Aigner, Benjamin L.; Kuhar, Thomas P.; Hogue, Jamie; Malone, Sean M.; Herbert, D. Ames Jr.; Seymore, Ed (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2015-11-05)
    Reviews the life cycle and threat of the brown marmorated stink bug, its impact on soybean plants, and management strategies to minimize this impact, and protect soybean crops.
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    Comparison of Two Sampling Methods for Assessing Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) Numbers in Soybean Fields
    Aigner, Benjamin L.; Herbert, D. A.; Dively, G. P.; Venugopal, D.; Whalen, J.; Cissel, B.; Kuhar, Thomas P.; Brewster, C. C.; Hogue, J. W.; Seymore, E. (Oxford University Press, 2016-12-01)
    Sampling soybean fields for the brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys Sta° l (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), can be challenging. Both adults and nymphs have a "startle response" and drop to the ground with even the slightest disturbance. This behavior could reduce the effectiveness of the traditional sweep net and ground cloth sampling methods. In 2013 and 2014, in Virginia, Delaware, and Maryland, we evaluated a visual plant inspection method that consisted of counting the number of brown marmorated stink bug nymphs and adults seen on soybean plants in a 2-min inspection period while walking carefully between two rows. After a 30-min interval, which allowed the stink bugs to reposition in the canopy, the area was resampled using 15 sweeps with a 38-cm-diameter sweep net. In total, 76 soybean fields and 2,042 paired comparisons were used to determine a strong linear relationship between sampling methods (y = 0.984x + 0.4359, R2 = 0.6934, where y = brown marmorated stink bugs/2-min visual count and x = brown marmorated stink bugs/15 sweeps). An average visual count of 5.4 brown marmorated stink bugs in 2 min was estimated as being equivalent to the current economic threshold of 5 stink bugs per 15 sweeps. Visual inspection appears to be an effective method for assessing brown marmorated stink bug populations in soybeans.
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    Performance of Insecticides on Brown Marmorated Sting Bug on Vegetables
    Kuhar, Thomas P.; Doughty, Hélène; Kamminga, Katherine; Philips, Chris; Aigner, John D.; Wallingford, Anna K.; Wimer, Adam Francis; Lilliston, Logan; Aigner, Benjamin L.; Nottingham, Louis B.; Lohr, Ashley; Fread, Elizabeth; Jenrette, James (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2011)
    Lists the rankings of insecticides used in a series of experiments in terms of percentage of mortality for Brown Marmorated Stink Bug nymphs and adults.
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    Risk Assessment and Improving Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Stål), Halyomorpha halys, Sampling in Virginia Soybean Systems
    Aigner, Benjamin L. (Virginia Tech, 2016-10-14)
    Brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys (Stål), has become an important pest of soybean in the Mid-Atlantic US. To assess the influence of tree borders on BMSB infestations in soybean, twelve fields were sampled weekly using five 3-min visual counts of BMSB on tree of heaven (TOH) (Ailanthus altissima) and other host trees along a wooded border, on the adjacent soybean edge, 15 m and 30 m into the soybean field. At all locations, BMSB densities increased on TOH wooded borders in July, then, gradually moved into adjacent soybean borders later in the summer. BMSB did not move far from the field edge, with approximately half as many bugs being present at 15 m into the field and very few being detected 30 m into the field. These results validate the use of border sprays for BMSB control in soybean. Additional studies conducted in 2013 and 2014 compared a visual plant inspection method with a standard sweep net strategy for sampling BMSB. Overall, the two methods were highly correlated with a correlation coefficient of R=0.83. Visual inspection appears to be an effective method for assessing BMSB populations in soybean. One of the major factors affecting the distribution and establishment of invasive species is climate. The CLIMEX modeling software uses climatic and biological factors of species to predict the geographic risk for pest outbreaks. A climate simulation model was run with CLIMEX to determine the potential distribution of BMSB in Virginia based on temperature. To develop a more accurate model, factors like resource availability and source population would need to be considered.