Development and comparison of trunk traps to monitor movement of Halyomorpha halys nymphs on host trees

Abstract

Halyomorpha halys Stål (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.