Greenhouse Rearing Methods for Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) on Live Cowpea Plants

Abstract

Brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is a pest of concern that must be controlled for market access of host material and regulated articles to certain countries. This work outlines a rearing system for BMSB on live cowpea plants, Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. (Fabales: Fabaceae), including methods to induce adults to both enter and exit diapause. This scalable system affords continuous access to >600 specimens per week of each life stage and/or age group, which is particularly advantageous when developing treatment efficacy data.