Browsing by Author "Walgenbach, James F."
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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 PeriodMorrison, 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.
- Evaluating invasion risk and population dynamics of the brown marmorated stink bug across the contiguous United StatesIllán, Javier Gutierrez; Zhu, Gengping; Walgenbach, James F.; Acebes-Doria, Angel; Agnello, Arthur M.; Alston, Diane G.; Andrews, Heather; Beers, Elisabeth H.; Bergh, J. Christopher; Bessin, Ricardo T.; Blaauw, Brett R.; Buntin, G. David; Burkness, Erik C.; Cullum, John P.; Daane, Kent M.; Fann, Lauren E.; Fisher, Joanna; Girod, Pierre; Gut, Larry J.; Hamilton, George C.; Hepler, James R.; Hilton, Richard; Hoelmer, Kim A.; Hutchison, William D.; Jentsch, Peter J.; Joseph, Shimat V.; Kennedy, George G.; Krawczyk, Grzegorz; Kuhar, Thomas P.; Lee, Jana C.; Leskey, Tracy C.; Marshal, Adrian T.; Milnes, Joshua M.; Nielsen, Anne L.; Patel, Dilani K.; Peterson, Hillary D.; Reisig, Dominic D.; Rijal, Jhalendra P.; Sial, Ashfaq A.; Spears, Lori R.; Stahl, Judith M.; Tatman, Kathy M.; Taylor, Sally V.; Tillman, Glynn; Toews, Michael D.; Villanueva, Raul T.; Welty, Celeste; Wiman, Nik G.; Wilson, Julianna K.; Zalom, Frank G.; Crowder, David W. (Wiley, 2022-11-01)BACKGROUND: Invasive species threaten the productivity and stability of natural and managed ecosystems. Predicting the spread of invaders, which can aid in early mitigation efforts, is a major challenge, especially in the face of climate change. While ecological niche models are effective tools to assess habitat suitability for invaders, such models have rarely been created for invasive pest species with rapidly expanding ranges. Here, we leveraged a national monitoring effort from 543 sites over 3 years to assess factors mediating the occurrence and abundance of brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB, Halyomorpha halys), an invasive insect pest that has readily established throughout much of the United States. RESULTS: We used maximum entropy models to estimate the suitable habitat of BMSB under several climate scenarios, and generalized boosted models to assess environmental factors that regulated BMSB abundance. Our models captured BMSB distribution and abundance with high accuracy, and predicted a 70% increase in suitable habitat under future climate scenarios. However, environmental factors that mediated the geographical distribution of BMSB were different from those driving abundance. While BMSB occurrence was most affected by winter precipitation and proximity to populated areas, BMSB abundance was influenced most strongly by evapotranspiration and solar photoperiod. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that linking models of establishment (occurrence) and population dynamics (abundance) offers a more effective way to forecast the spread and impact of BMSB and other invasive species than simply occurrence-based models, allowing for targeted mitigation efforts. Implications of distribution shifts under climate change are discussed. © 2022 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
- Flea Beetle Populations and Their Management on Vegetables in VirginiaMason, James Allen Cole (Virginia Tech, 2018-06-15)Flea beetles (FB), (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), are common pests of cabbage and eggplant, but little is known about the FB populations in Virginia, their impact on yield, or the most effective control methods. This research investigates the FB populations and impact of their feeding injury on cabbage and eggplant in Southwest Virginia, and determines the most efficacious control methods. In Whitethorne, VA, cabbage and eggplant crops were vacuum sampled weekly throughout two summers. Crucifer flea beetle, Phyllotreta cruciferae (Goeze), and striped flea beetle, Phyllotreta striolata Fabr. were found on cabbage; whereas, eggplant flea beetle, Epitrix fucula (Crotch), and the tobacco flea beetle, Epitrix hirtipennis (Melsheimer) were found on eggplant. To evaluate the impact of FB feeding on these plants, insecticides were used to create a range of pest pressure. Flea beetle densities and defoliation was visually assessed weekly and individual plant as well as whole plot yields assessed at harvest. In both crops, as little as 20% defoliation significantly reduced yield, with higher defoliation resulting in lower yield. The efficacy of various insecticides was also evaluated; soil application of the systemic neonicotinoid dinotefuran had the fewest beetles, the least amount of leaf defoliation, and the highest yield in cabbage and eggplant. Lastly, deltamethrin-incorporated mesh row covers were evaluated and shown to provide excellent control of FB compared to an untreated row cover or a control; and comparable to the standard insecticide, dinotefuran. This research helps vegetable growers to better understand the severity of these pests and how to effectively combat them.
- Foraging ecology and sampling of Trissolcus japonicus (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) and its host Halyomorpha halys (Stal) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in wild host treesQuinn, Nicole Frances (Virginia Tech, 2019-11-27)The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is an invasive agricultural and nuisance pest in the United States and an increasing number of countries abroad. In the absence of other long-term solutions, biological control presents one of the most promising H. halys management options. An adventive population of Trissolcus japonicus (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae), one of the most effective egg parasitoids of H. halys in their shared native range in Asia, was discovered in the Maryland in 2014 and in Frederick County, VA in 2015. Adventive populations of T. japonicus have also been detected recently in several other states and show strong indications of ongoing range expansion. Despite their importance, the foraging ecology of H. halys and especially of T. japonicus in the USA need further study. Small pyramid traps baited with a low-dose H. halys aggregation pheromone lure and deployed as vertical transects in the canopy of female tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle), male tree of heaven, or hackberry (Celtis occidentalis L.), captured significantly more H. halys adults and nymphs near the top of the canopy than at mid- or lower canopy, regardless of host plant. The majority of H. halys egg masses collected via destructive sampling of felled tree of heaven were from mid-canopy, and the majority of those parasitized by T. japonicus were also from mid-canopy, with no T. japonicus emergence from egg masses collected from the lower canopy. A comparison of sentinel H. halys egg masses and yellow sticky traps deployed as vertical transects in tree of heaven revealed that the majority of T. japonicus detections occurred at mid-canopy and that while both methods proved to be equally effective, yellow sticky traps were more efficient for this purpose. This led to the development of a novel T. japonicus sampling method in which a yellow sticky trap is deployed atop a bamboo pole in the mid-canopy of wild host trees. This method was employed to compare the effect of habitat type on T. japonicus captures in female tree of heaven growing in spatially isolated patches, thin windbreaks, and at the edge of contiguous woodlots. Consistent habitat effects on T. japonicus detections were not found between sampling years, but provided the first documentation of the seasonal activity of T. japonicus in the USA. A study of host plant effects on T. japonicus detection in mid-canopy yellow sticky traps did not reveal consistent host plant effects on captures. These data provide important insights into the foraging ecology of H. halys and T. japonicus in the USA, as well as efficient sampling methods for future studies of T. japonicus.
- Habitat and host plant effects on the seasonal abundance of Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) among fruit orchards in northern VirginiaHadden, Whitney Taylor (Virginia Tech, 2021-04-02)Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), brown marmorated stink bug, is an invasive, polyphagous pest that has disrupted integrated pest management programs in Mid-Atlantic tree fruit orchards since 2010. The amount of damage to fruit caused by H. halys feeding is highly variable, even within adjacent orchard blocks, and the influence of orchards and wild host plants nearby on H. halys relative abundance is unknown. Pheromone-based trapping studies conducted along woodland-to-orchard transects, along woodland borders at sites with and without adjacent orchards, and within the mid-canopy of several common wild host trees in woodland borders were used to investigate biotic factors underlying the variability of H. halys populations among sites within a geographically proximate area. Additionally, the retention duration of H. halys on wild and cultivated tree hosts was used as a proxy for host acceptability throughout the season. All trapping studies yielded significantly greater H. halys captures during the late season, and in the transect study, pyramid traps deployed at orchard and woodland edges during this period yielded the highest captures. The presence of orchards or open fields adjacent to woodlands had no significant impact on H. halys captures in sticky traps deployed along wooded edges, but captures varied significantly among orchard and open field sites. Among 11 common wild host plant genera surveyed at these sites, five genera, Elaeagnus, Fraxinus, Lonicera, Ailanthus, and Sassafras, were significantly related to H. halys relative densities. Conversely, studies measuring captures in small pyramid traps within the canopy of wild tree hosts revealed no significant differences among hosts at any point in the season, suggesting that this approach might not be appropriate for assessing host plant suitability. Finally, harmonic radar trials assessing host plant retention as a proxy for host suitability revealed that adults released on peach and pheromone-baited apple trees had significantly greater retention durations than those released on non-host, grass, and that adult retention duration increased from the early to late season. In combination, results indicate that the risk posed by H. halys to cultivated orchard crops varied across locations and seasonally, and may be related to the species composition of wild host trees in adjoining woodlands.
- Host plant effects on the biology, behavior and ecology of brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)Acebes-Doria, Angelita L. (Virginia Tech, 2016-03-09)Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is a polyphagous, invasive, and highly significant pest of mid-Atlantic fruit orchards. Its capacity to invade orchards season-long is believed to be facilitated by the availability of wild host plants near orchards and the high dispersal capacity of adults and nymphs. Interactions between H. halys and its hosts were investigated via laboratory and field experiments. Rearing H. halys nymphs in the laboratory on several of its known wild and tree fruit hosts used alone and in combination showed that peach was much more suitable for nymphal development and survival than was apple, tree of heaven, or catalpa and that nymphal performance was enhanced on mixed host diets. Nymphs reared on different host plant diets yielded adults that differed in protein, sugar or lipid content, offering new insights into plant diet effects on H. halys nutrition. The majority of tree species identified from unmanaged woodlands next to apple orchards in Virginia and West Virginia were known hosts of H. halys. Passive trunk traps were developed to capture H. halys nymphs walking up and down tree trunks and used to measure their temporal patterns of movement onto and off of wild and tree fruit hosts at the orchard-woodland interface via weekly assessments during two consecutive seasons. More upward- than downward-walking nymphs were captured, which may be partially explained by the positively phototactic and negatively geotactic behavior of H. halys nymphs demonstrated in laboratory studies. Most nymphs captured while walking up and down trunks were second instars, although the data also reflected temporal changes in the distribution of instars and temporal variation in the numbers of nymphs captured. A field study to characterize injuries to apple and peach fruit at harvest from feeding by young or older nymphs early or late in the season revealed that feeding by young nymphs early in the season resulted in least injury to both crops. In combination, these studies greatly improve our understanding of the biology and ecology of H. halys in eastern fruit orchards and provide relevant data that will inform the development of ecologically-based management programs for it.
- Indigenous arthropod natural enemies of the invasive brown marmorated stink bug in North America and EuropeAbram, 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.
- 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 EffortsLudwick, 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.
- Southeastern U.S. 2014 Vegetable Crop HandbookKemble, J. M.; Quesada-Ocampo, L. M.; Ivors, K. L.; Jennings, K. M.; Walgenbach, James F. (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2014)Provides current, research-based information on vegetable crops, including recommendations for best varieties to plant, planting dates, fertilizers, cover crops, tillage, pesticide selections and alternative agricultural practices.