Monitoring for existing natural enemies of brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) using video surveillance in Michigan

The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys, is considered a pest species throughout the United States since its accidental introduction. The BMSB has the potential to become a serious threat to Michigan’s agricultural output due to its polyphagous behavior but the extent of damage to Michigan’s agro-ecosystems remains unclear. This study was designed to explore what types of top-down pressures exist in our agro-ecosystems and to determine existing sources of biological control in Michigan. In a replicated field experiment in which BMSB egg masses were monitored for natural enemies over 14 weeks, 6 video surveillance systems were set up at each of our two field sites in south-central Michigan. A single BMSB egg mass was pinned onto pepper and apple leaves in the field and monitored with one camera per egg mass. Each egg mass was left out for 48 hours and retrieved for inspection for damage and retained to allow for parasitoid emergence. The video data were watched to identify and quantify the causes of damage to the egg mass. Egg mass utilization rates were low across each site and crop with predation rates higher than parasitism rates. Predators were observed causing both chewing and sucking damage to the eggs. There was no successful parasitism observed. All egg mass utilization rates were compared to 2013 utilization rates.