Issue 1 • March 1, 2016 Welcome to the Bagrada of Pests Research lab in Stoneville, Slides from Bagrada Bug News! Mississippi. This year marks the third Bug Meeting Available year that Dr. Jones has worked toward Online By Jane Sooby, CCOF biocontrol of bagrada bug. He is The Bagrada Bug Working Group connected with an international team The Bagrada Bug News is a service of held a meeting Dec. 11, 2015, in that has traveled to Pakistan and South the Bagrada Bug Working Group, a multi Salinas, CA. Co‐organizer David Africa seeking natural enemies of the stakeholder collaboration that CCOF and Pegos with CDFA’s Plant Health and pest. Pest Prevention Services CDFA initiated in 2015 to explore spearheaded the web broadcast, options for organic producers Based on anecdotal reports, crop supported by Colleen Murphy. View experiencing crop loss due to this losses in California could range presentations by clicking on this link: invasive pest. in the hundreds of thousands to https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/pres entations/bagrada/ Bagrada bug is an invasive stink bug that millions of dollars. has a taste for plants in the mustard family; however, it does not restrict its The purpose of Bagrada Bug News is In this Issue feeding to these crops. Much two‐fold: to publish useful guidance for information about this pest is lacking, organic and other producers in Bagrada Bug, Painted Bug, including the scope and degree of the managing bagrada bug infestations, and Bagrada hilaris: A Wide‐ damage it has caused. Based on to serve as a resource for scientists Ranging Pest of Brassicas anecdotal reports, crop losses in worldwide working to manage this pest. Prospects for Biological California could range in the hundreds Feel free to contact us with any Control of Bagrada hilaris of thousands to millions of dollars. In comments, suggestions, or articles. some parts of southern California, Bagrada Bug Moves into mustard crops can no longer be grown Central and Northern Jane Sooby, editor, [email protected] California at certain times of the year. Bagrada Bug, Painted ARS‐Albany Bagrada Bug While the Working Group focuses on Team In Place organic management and biocontrol of Bug, Bagrada hilaris: A bagrada bug, it is open to all Bagrada Bug Proposal Moves Wide‐Ranging Pest of Forward participants. Brassicas Since the Working Group started, Bagrada Bug Exploration By Thomas M. Perring and Continues Abroad scientists from many agencies have Darcy Reed joined. Developing strategies for non‐ In the Literature chemical control of bagrada bug seems Department of Entomology, to be a passion for many of them. University of California, Riverside Bagrada Bug Found in Hawai’i What started as a California‐specific The painted bug was first detected in effort quickly expanded into an the United States in June 2008, at the port of Los Angeles. With a geographic international group, thanks largely to the participation of Dr. Walker Jones (continued) from the USDA‐ARS, Biological Control Bagrada Bug News • Issue 1 1 origin in Africa and the Middle East, it There do not appear to be any insect bug in the Old World. We are has quickly spread throughout California pheromones that work, and the best collaborating with the USDA‐ARS and into Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, attractant so far has been sweet European Biological Control Laboratory west Texas, and northern Mexico. alyssum leaves or mustard seed meal. in France, CABI South Asia Station in However, these attractants do not Pakistan, and the Agricultural Research Climate matching models and host plant produce consistent results throughout Council in South Africa to collect and distributions predict its spread in North the year. import parasitoids for biological control America from southern Mexico through in the US. the Pacific Northwest, and eastward through Texas and southern Oklahoma Prospects for Biological and most of Florida. Control of Bagrada Bagrada Bug Moves into Central and Northern The painted bug is unique among stink hilaris bugs in that it lays its eggs singly in the By Walker Jones1 and Thomas California 2 soil or on plants, which makes it more M. Perring By Larry Godfrey1, Shimat 2 3 difficult for egg parasitoids to find the 1 Joseph , Jhalendra Rijal , ARS‐USDA National Biological 4 2 eggs. There are 5 nymphal instars that Surendra Dara , Richard Smith , Control Laboratory, Stoneville, and Ian Grettenberger1 mature from egg to adult in as little as MS; 2Dept. Entomology, University 16 days at the optimal temperature of of California, Riverside, CA 1Dept. of Entomology and 95°F. At this temperature, the average Nematology, Univ. of California, There are a number of natural enemies generation time is 17 days. A warm Davis; 2Univ. of California that will feed on the painted bug weather insect, they are most active Cooperative Extension Monterey (=bagrada bug). Generalist predators 3 during the warm parts of the day, when County, Salinas; Univ. of include assassin bugs, solitary wasps, the temperature is above 80°F. They California Cooperative Extension ants, preying mantids, spider, and Stanislaus, Merced, and San have a single population peak in urban vertebrates (lizards and birds). These Joaquin County, Modesto; 4Univ. southern California that peaks in generalists don’t have much of an of California Cooperative September, and a bimodal distribution impact on the population. More Extension San Luis Obispo, Santa in the desert agricultural regions of effective are parasitoids that attack the Barbara, and Ventura County, San California and Arizona with peaks in Luis Obispo painted bug eggs. April and October timed with the presence of cole crops (broccoli, Research has shown that one of our The bagrada bug was first found in cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, native parasitoids will parasitize B. California in 2008 and over the next few and leafy brassicas). hilaris but not in the soil where eggs are years adapted to the southern laid. Two species from Europe, California/Arizona desert vegetable In addition to brassicas, painted bug will Trissolcus sp. and Ooencyrtus production system. Significant pest utilize a wide range of plants including telenomicida, were also able to management concerns developed for cheeseweed, groundsel, India mustard, parasitize eggs in the lab but not in the this pest in Brassica crops, which are the sunflower, Bermuda grass, corn, cotton, soil. Three additional parasitoids, favored hosts for bagrada bug. IPM cowpea, Sudan grass, and watermelon. Trissolcus sp., Ooencyrtus sp. and Gryon programs based on well‐designed The feeding is easily recognized by the sp., were collected in Pakistan from B. research were put in place and losses to star‐shaped feeding patterns on the hilaris eggs and these were brought into growers were largely mitigated. plant leaves. These insects have a quarantine in Mississippi. While waiting tremendous ability to find brassicas, and on permits to bring the insects to the This pest expanded its range northward the most damage is done when they quarantine facility at UC Riverside, and over the last 3‐4 years has infested feed on plants that just emerge from colonies of two of these species died. central and northern California. the ground. This feeding kills the Consequently, we currently have only Vegetable production in the coastal seedling. Plants that survive continue to the Ooencyrtus species in Riverside, and production areas has been greatly grow and many produced forked heads, we are beginning to conduct host range impacted and the infestation has or no head at all (“blind” plants). studies with this species. progressed as far north as Butte County Research has focused on developing a in the Sacramento Valley. We started a At the same time, we suspect there are lure to attract painted bugs for project in Fall/Winter, 2014, funded by a number of other parasitoid species monitoring, and this has been difficult. (continued) across the native range of the bagrada Bagrada Bug News • Issue 1 2 the Specialty Crop Block Grant program, together a group of scientists to work on effective organically registered control to research and develop IPM programs biocontrol methods for managing measures. for this pest in the Central Coast, bagrada bug in the coming year. Paul A long term, self‐sustaining solution is particularly Salinas Valley, vegetable Pratt, Research Leader of the Exotic and the introduction of parasitoids system. Specific objectives were 1.) to Invasive Weeds Research Unit, specialized in feeding on this pest. This investigate bagrada bug biology in the announced that a new research entomologist, Dr. Brian Hogg, has been proposal will evaluate a novel parasitoid Salinas Valley, 2.) to study the hired to lead the unit’s research on for host specificity, determine if any infestation and damage severity of developing biological control options for resident natural enemies are attacking bagrada bug on key crops, and 3.) to bagrada bug. Dr. Hogg has over 12 bagrada bug, and request field release design management programs for years’ experience working in the field permits from the appropriate bagrada bug on key Salinas Valley crops. and will spend much of his time authorities. The ultimate goal is the This project was designed to build upon coordinating risk assessments of release of the new parasitoid. the significant research that had been biological control agents of bagrada bug. conducted in southern California and Dr. Keith Stokes has also joined the Arizona, but the substantial differences USDA team in Albany as a postdoc Bagrada Bug Exploration in environmental conditions, cropping researcher, and technician Adam Pepi Continues Abroad patterns, crop diversity, crop growth has also been assigned to work on the project. By Paul Pratt and Link Smith, cycles, growing seasons, etc. dictated USDA‐ARS that adaptive research needed to be conducted. Bagrada Bug Proposal Dr. René Sforza of the USDA’s European Moves Forward Biological Control Laboratory (EBCL) is, During the winter and spring 2015, as of the writing, surveying for natural By Charlie Pickett, CDFA bagrada bug overwintering populations enemies of bagrada bug in South Africa.