Cannibalistic oophagy in brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) colonies

Halyomorpha halys (Stål), the brown marmorated stink bug, has become a major agricultural pest in the United States.  This invasive phytophagous insect is found in 41 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces, and can wreak havoc on 300+ plant species, including many important agricultural crops, such as apples, sweet corn, field corn and soybeans. Because of the economic damage caused by H. halys, it is useful to have laboratory colonies for research purposes. A healthy colony can be disrupted by many factors, including cannibalism. While cannibalism occurs in both predatory and phytophagous insects, only two phytophagous pentatomids have been reported to be cannibalistic. Upon observing cannibalism of eggs in our laboratory colony we sought to quantify the effect of this behavior on the health of the colony. Egg masses were exposed to either second or fourth instar nymphs for varying lengths of time. Both the number of days an egg mass was exposed to nymphs, and the age of the nymphs, affected egg mortality. This knowledge is useful to researchers attempting to maintain healthy, stable populations of H. halys in laboratory colonies, and aids in developing a more successful rearing protocol. H. halys colony managers should be aware that cannibalism exists within H. Halys colonies; in this poster, we discuss the necessary precautions to minimize the impact of this behavior.