S14 - Session P5 - Monitoring of Halyomorpha halys in the northeastern Lake Constance fruit growing region

Authors: Michael Zoth *, Dominikus Kittemann, Franziska Reinhard

Bugs can cause great damage to agricultural crops. Damaging members of this genus include f. e. the rice bug ( Nezara viridula ), the red-legged tree bug ( Pentatoma rufipes ), and the brown marmorated stink bug ( Halymorpha halys ). Nezara and Halyomorpha are invasive species that have opened up new habitats due to climatic changes, global trade and plant imports. Halyomorpha halys attacks about 200 crop species and can therefore cause great damage in agriculture due to deformations caused by the suction activity. Marketing of infested fruit is no longer possible. There are currently no successful control strategies. Chemical control is not possible due to its life cycle (migration of the bugs from April to August) and the associated frequent application of insecticides even during the flowering period. In addition, no effective plant protection products are currently approved in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. As a result, the domestic production of high-quality fruit and vegetables in the Lake Constance region is at risk. Within a three-year-project a first regulation strategy against the brown marmorated stink bug (transferable to other bugs), is to be developed. Monitoring Halyomorpha , its larval stages and its natural opponent Trissolcus japonicus is the focus work of the research station within the project. At 10 locations (Lindau area) monitoring took place with aggregation pheromone. In this first year of work first bugs could be detected and were further cultivated for breeding, to generate bug eggs for the monitoring of Trissolcus japonicus . Halyomorpha was detected at all monitored locations. In calendar week 18, first bugs were detected in the fruit orchards. With increasing temperatures, more bugs were monitored in in calendar week 22. In August and the beginning September the highest populations could be observed, before the number of monitored Halyomorpha decreased again, due to the migration of the bugs for hibernation.