University of Kentucky UKnowledge Theses and Dissertations--Entomology Entomology 2015 Mechanical Exclusion and Biological Control Strategies For the Invasive Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) Rachelyn Dobson University of Kentucky, [email protected] Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Dobson, Rachelyn, "Mechanical Exclusion and Biological Control Strategies For the Invasive Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)" (2015). Theses and Dissertations--Entomology. 17. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/entomology_etds/17 This Master's Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Entomology at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations--Entomology by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 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Rachelyn Dobson, Student Dr. Ricardo Bessin, Major Professor Dr. Charles Fox, Director of Graduate Studies MECHANICAL EXCLUSION AND BIOLOGICAL CONTROL STRATEGIES FOR THE INVASIVE BROWN MARMORATED STINK BUG, Halyomorpha halys (HEMIPTERA: PENTATOMIDAE) —————————————————— THESIS —————————————————— A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment at the University of Kentucky By Rachelyn Colean Dobson Lexington, Kentucky Director: Dr. Ricardo Bessin, Extension Professor of Entomology Lexington, Kentucky 2015 Copyright © Rachelyn Colean Dobson 2015 ABSTRACT OF THESIS MECHANICAL EXCLUSION AND BIOLOGICAL CONTROL STRATEGIES FOR THE INVASIVE BROWN MARMORATED STINK BUG, Halyomorpha halys (HEMIPTERA: PENTATOMIDAE) The brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) is an invasive, agriculturally destructive pest present in most of the United States. Because organic farmers have few effective control options to combat this pest, three potential control options were investigated. Screens of different mesh sizes (0.42cm, 0.32cm, and 0.10cm) that covered vegetable crops were evaluated for their ability to exclude H. halys, allow the entry of beneficial insects, and protect the crop from various types of damage. H. halys and native stink bug egg masses were placed in an organic field and evidence of predation and parasitism from native natural enemies was assessed. Lastly, a pre- formulated product of the entomopathogenic fungus, Beauveria bassiana, was used to target H. halys in a field, greenhouse, and lab setting to determine its effectiveness. Finer screens excluded beneficial insects but protected the crop from stink bug and sun damage, increasing the percentage of marketable crop. Predators control some of H. halys eggs but parasitoids are unable to emerge from a large portion of H. halys eggs, potentially causing their control to be unsustainable. B. bassiana was not observed to effectively control H. halys during any of the fungus trials. KEYWORDS: Halyomorpha halys, Organic, Insect-proof Screen, Biological Control, Entomopathogenic Fungus MULTIMEDIA ELEMENTS USED: JPEG (.jpg) _________________________________Rachelyn Dobson _________________________________5/3/2015 MECHANICAL EXCLUSION AND BIOLOGICAL CONTROL STRATEGIES FOR THE INVASIVE BROWN MARMORATED STINK BUG, Halyomorpha halys (HEMIPTERA: PENTATOMIDAE) By Rachelyn Colean Dobson _________________________________________Ricardo Bessin Director of Thesis _________________________________________Chuck Fox Director of Graduate Studies _________________________________________5/3/2015 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank the members of my committee for their continual advice and support throughout my master’s project. Specifically, I would like to thank my advisor, Ric Bessin, who encouraged me and prompted me to think more critically about my research. I want to thank all of the undergraduate workers, other members of my lab, and the farm crew of the University of Kentucky Horticulture Research Farm for helping me maintain and collect data from my research plots. I would like to thank members of the UK Plant Diagnostic Lab and Christine Dieckhoff at the USDA-ARS Beneficial Insects Introduction Research lab at the University of Delaware for their fungus and parasitoid identifications. I would like to thank the USDA OREI (Organic Research and Extension Initiative) grant that funded my work. Lastly, I would like to thank my friends and family that supported me throughout my project. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ iii List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... vi List of Figures .................................................................................................................. viii Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 Impacts .................................................................................................................... 4 Current Control Options in Agriculture .................................................................. 7 Conventional Farming ................................................................................ 7 Organic Farming ......................................................................................... 8 Need for More Research ........................................................................... 11 Objectives ............................................................................................................. 12 Chapter 1 : Identifying the optimal insect-proof screen that excludes Halyomorpha halys and produces the highest percentage of marketable crop in organic vegetable production ........................................................................................................................................... 13 Methods and Materials .......................................................................................... 16 Results ................................................................................................................... 19 Discussion ............................................................................................................. 22 Chapter 2 : Determining the level of biological control from native predators and parasitoids on the eggs of Halyomorpha halys in Kentucky ............................................ 36 Methods and Materials .......................................................................................... 38 Results ................................................................................................................... 41 Discussion ............................................................................................................. 46 iv Chapter 3 : The effectiveness of the GHA strain of Beauveria bassiana against Halyomorpha halys in a field, greenhouse, and lab setting .............................................. 72 Methods and Materials .......................................................................................... 75 Lab Trials .................................................................................................. 75 Greenhouse Trials ..................................................................................... 76 Field Trials ................................................................................................ 77 Results ................................................................................................................... 79 Lab Trials .................................................................................................. 79 Greenhouse Trials ..................................................................................... 79 Field Trials ...............................................................................................