Intercrop movement of stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in Georgia

Phytophagous stink bugs, including the green stink bug, southern green stink bug, and brown stink bug, are economically important agricultural pests of cotton and other crops. These species are thought to utilize multiple hosts and disperse across the farmscape according to crop phenology. Therefore, a better understanding of timing of stink bug dispersal is critical for improving sampling and management interventions. The objective of this project was to assess the frequency and distance of stink bug movement in pilot scale farmscapes. Movement was investigated by mass mark and recapture and with marking proteins. Proteins including soymilk, egg whites, and cow’s milk were applied to soybean, peanut, and cotton, respectively. Replicated plots were established with approximately 0.6 ha of cotton planted between similar sized plots of peanut and soybean. Stink bugs were recovered with sweep nets at 24 and 48 hr after proteins were sprayed each week. Captured insects were transferred into 1.5ml centrifuge tubes and then marking proteins were detected using an ELISA procedure on a surface wash. A total of 539 stink bugs were collected during 6 sampling weeks. The percentage of stink bugs marked by proteins was similar among species (range 65% to 83%). Approximately 27% of stink bugs were marked with at two proteins and 2.6% were marked with all three proteins. Results indicated that stink bugs moved into cotton fields from adjacent crops during bloom and then moved into soybean when cotton quit blooming.