Spatial and temporal dynamics of stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in southeastern farmscapes

A three-year study (2009-2011) was conducted to examine the spatial and temporal dynamics of stink bugs in a commercial farmscape in South Carolina. Crops included were wheat, Triticum aestivum (L.), corn, Zea mays (L.), soybean, Glycine max (L.), and cotton, Gossypium hirsutum (L.). The predominant species of phytophagous stink bugs were the brown stink bug, Euschistus servus (Say) (52.4% of all captures during 2009, 66.7% during 2010), the green stink bug, Acrosternum hilare (Say) (22.7%, 12.9%), and the southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula (L.) (24.9%, 7.0%). The Spatial Analysis by Distance IndicEs analysis (SADIE) showed evidence of significant aggregation in only four out of 36 indices for densities summed across sampling dates for each year and crop (E. servus in soybean during 2009 and 2010, A. hilare in soybean during 2010, and all species combined during 2010). However, slopes for Taylor’s Power Law were significantly greater than one for all three species in soybeans during both years, and coefficients β of Iwao’s patchiness regression were significantly greater than one for E. servus and A. hilare in soybean during 2010, indicating detectable aggregations in this crop. The lack of detectable aggregation of stink bugs in other crops may be attributed to lower densities than in soybean. Sampling along cotton-soybean interfaces indicated greater densities of stink bugs along the edge of fields compared to the middle. The ecological and management implications of the aggregated distribution of stink bugs within farmscapes will be discussed.