Relating stink bug density to percentage pecan nut damage

Surveyed pecan growers indicated a priority to develop a pest management program to reduce stink bug damage to pecan nuts. In 2013, biweekly sampling of pecan groves in Arkansas produced estimates of the numbers of stink bugs per pheromone baited yellow pyramid trap on the ground and jarred per pecan tree by a water spray that were related to the percentage of stink bug damaged pecan nuts. The baited pyramid trap samples illustrated that there were two summer generations of mostly brown stink bugs, Euschistus servus (Say), peaking in late-June and late-August. In comparison, mostly brown stink bugs were jarred from pecan trees only from late-August through harvest in October. Peak numbers of brown stink bugs jarred from the pecan canopy corresponded to peak stink bug damage to nut meat in the Blackwell grove (September 18) and in the Mayflower grove (August 20). The Humphrey grove had its peak in numbers of brown stink bugs jarred from the pecan canopy after October 1. This coincided with increasing percentages in stink bug damaged nut meat on October 2 (5.33%) and October 16 (8.67%). The goal is to develop an economic threshold after a couple more years of sampling.