Eggs, nymphs, and adults of Halyomorpha halys were exposed to 15%, 35%, 55%, 75%, or 90% RH provided by glycerol-water solutions. Although egg hatch and nymphal survival occurred at all concentrations, they were highest at 55% to 90% RH. Nymphs exposed at the second instar reached the adult stage only at 55% to 90% RH. Females laid the greatest number of egg clutches at 55% RH. Therefore, we believe that H. halys could survive in Florida at 55% to 90% RH, but would be most prolific at 55%.

The cactus moth, Cactoblastis cactorum (Berg) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), is an invasive species in North America, where it poses a threat to species of Opuntia Mill. of economic and ecological importance. The parasitoid Apanteles opuntiarum Martinez & Berta (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is currently under evaluation as a potential biological control agent. This study was conducted to develop a parasitoid rearing protocol, with special attention to laboratory sex ratio and the effects of inbreeding. The parasitoid rearing method used a natural cactus host diet for culture of the moths. Female wasps were mated with siblings, non-siblings, or a combination. Clutch size, clutch number, and offspring sex ratios were recorded. The effects of sibling mating on these factors were analyzed. Offspring of sibling-mated parasitoids exhibited a significant increase in female sex ratio. The rearing method produced 6 successive generations in captivity with no additional introductions of genetic material. Hence, the protocol appears suitable for long-term maintenance of quarantine colonies. The effects of inbreeding suggest that natural populations of A. opuntiarum are subject to local mate competition. Therefore, some amount of inbreeding is recommended for maintenance of an optimal sex ratio of A. opuntiarum in laboratory colonies.

Stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) are economic pests of a variety of fruit crops across the southeastern USA, and damage by stink bugs to peaches is common. The landscape surrounding orchards may influence stink bug distribution and dispersal into this commodity, but such patterns may vary over the growing season. Accordingly, stink bug control should be targeted seasonally towards habitats that effectively reduce or prevent damage to peach. In this study, we used pheromone-baited traps to characterize distribution patterns of 2 stink bug species, Euschistus servus (Say) and Euschistus tristigmus (Say) (both Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), in peach orchards and surrounding habitat over 2 seasons at 3 sites in central Georgia, USA. In addition, we used Spatial Analysis by Distance Indices to identify significant aggregations of each species over the duration of the growing seasons. Adults captured in traps differed by species, and distribution patterns varied by habitat and wk sampled. Euschistus servus was commonly found in peaches, whereas E. tristigmus was not. Regardless of orchard or yr, adult E. servus tended to avoid woodland habitat, whereas E. tristigmus tended to prefer this habitat type. Both species increased later in the season in peach orchards with significant spatial aggregations of each detected at all orchards. However, the wk in which aggregations were detected varied by orchard and yr. Across all orchards, E. servus adults clustered mainly in peach trees adjacent to pecan, as well as pine, fallow, and kudzu habitat. Adult E. tristigmus aggregated primarily in woodland, pine, and pecan habitat. Seasonal distribution patterns of E. servus and E. tristigmus suggest that control measures may need to be implemented on a fine spatial scale across peach and non-crop habitats.

The occurrence of beneficial and pest arthropods collected from buckwheat companion plantings on a blueberry and a vegetable farm in north Florida was characterized. Similarity of arthropod diversity at the family level was intermediate (Sørensen index = 0.59). Significantly more pollinators and parasitoids but fewer pests were collected at the blueberry than the vegetable farm. The blueberry farm, therefore, achieved the goal of using companion plants to selectively enhance the impact of natural enemies. This goal was not accomplished at the vegetable farm because relatively large numbers of tarnished plant bugs and other pests attracted to the buckwheat were not controlled by the natural enemies. Se caracterizó la presencia de artrópodos benéficos y plaga recolectados de las plantaciones conjuntas de alforfón, arándanos y hortalizas en una granja de en el norte de la Florida. La similitud de la diversidad de artrópodos a nivel familiar fue intermedia (índice de Sørensen = 0,59). Significativamente se recolectaron más polinizadores y parasitoides, pero menos plagas en el arándano que en la granja de hortalizas. El huerto de arándanos, por lo tanto, logró el objetivo de utilizar plantas de compañía para aumentar selectivamente el impacto de los enemigos naturales. Esta meta no se logró en la granja de hortalizas debido a que un número relativamente grande del chinche Lygus lineolaris y otras plagas atraídas por el alforfón no fuerton controladas por los enemigos naturales.

The mass rearing of hymenopteran egg parasitoids requires an abundant supply of host eggs. The onset of reproductive diapause and subsequent decline in egg production poses a challenge for parasitoid rearing when using host colonies augmented by field-collected insects. We investigated the application of pyriproxyfen, a juvenile hormone analog, to induce oviposition in diapausing adult kudzu bugs, Megacopta cribraria (Fabricius) (Heteroptera: Plataspidae), and the use of eggs produced by pyriproxyfen-treated kudzu bugs to rear the egg parasitoid, Paratelenomus saccharalis (Dodd) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae). The effects of pyriproxyfen and photoperiod treatments on host mortality, egg production, and rates of parasitoid eclosion from the eggs were used to calculate the parasitoid yield for the different treatment regimes. A combination of pyriproxyfen and a long-day photoperiod increased the parasitoid yield by 87% compared to acetone and a long-day photoperiod. The general applicability of JH-analog mediated egg production for parasitoid rearing is discussed.

The invasive brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), was discovered in Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA, in 1996 (Hoebeke & Carter 2003) and to date has been detected in 46 states in the US. Halyomorpha halys is polyphagous, feeding on a wide variety of fruit, vegetable, and field crops, woody ornamentals, and wild hosts (Rice et al. 2014; Bakken et al. 2015; Basnet et al. 2015; Bergmann et al. 2016). Multiple host plant species, though, may be necessary for normal development (Acebes-Doria et al. 2016). This pest extracts nutrients from fruit, sap, or phloem with piercing and sucking mouthparts, which leads to fruit damage and yield loss in crops.