Relative suitability of selected fruit trees and wild hosts for development of brown marmorated stinkbug, Halyomorpha halys Stål (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)

Brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys Stål (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is a species native to Asia that has recently become an important invasive pest in the US. Its extremely broad host range includes field crops, vegetables, small and tree fruit as well as many wild hosts such as tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima Mill. Swingle) and cigar tree (Catalpa speciosa Warder), that likely play an important role in sustaining its populations. H. halys is known to disperse from one host to another throughout the growing season, possibly influenced by the phenological stage of each host, although the relative suitability of most potential host plants in North America for its reproduction and development is unknown. In this study, we investigated the development of H. halys on vegetative and reproductive structures of cultivated and wild host plants. Host plants used were apple (Malus domestica Borkh.), peach (Prunus persica L. Batsch), the invasive tree-of-heaven and the native cigar tree. The study was conducted using caged branches on trees in the field and under controlled laboratory conditions using excised branches. In the field, two egg masses were deployed on each host plant (1 egg mass/branch bearing reproductive structures or foliage alone) with a minimum of 4 replications and the fate of the individuals was monitored. Parameters such as developmental rate and duration, nymphal survival rates, and nutritional status of resultant adults were measured and compared. A nutrient content analysis of adults compared the levels of nutrients obtained from each host plant.