Husbandry of pest enemies: Is there hope for “HOPE”

The spined soldier bug, Podisus maculiventris Say (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae: Asopinae) is a common generalist predator ranging from coast-to-coast in North America. Adults and nymphs actively search for prey, especially for caterpillars and exposed beetle larvae. The male-produced aggregation pheromone of P. maculiventris was the first heteropteran pheromone identified (Aldrich et al. 1978, Aldrich et al. 1984), the pheromone attracts both sexes of adults as well as 2^nd-5^th-instar nymphs, and it is one of the cheapest of all known pheromones to make. There is a multitude of published research on the natural impact of spined soldier bugs on various pest species, and on the potential of P. maculiventris for augmentative biocontrol. Nevertheless, although spined soldier bugs are commercially available, utilization of this beneficial insect for biocontrol falls far short of its predicted potential, principally due the cost of mass rearing the bugs. In the absence of a practical artificial diet, this predator must be reared on live prey. Here I will discuss my recent and ongoing efforts to devise semiochemical, and improved rearing and handling techniques to increase the husbandry of the spined soldier bug for, at least, garden-scale biocontrol.