The Effects of JH Analogues on Diapausing Halymorpha halys and Megacopta cribraria

Halyomorpha halys and Megacopta cribraria are exotic-invasive agricultural pests recently introduced into the United States. The spread of H.halys in the Middle Atlantic states has caused significant losses to growers, primarily in peach and apple orchards. Megacopta cribraria was first detected in northeastern Georgia in 2009 and has spread throughout the southeast where it is a pest on soybean. Both H.halys and M. cribraria exhibit a propensity to overwinter in aggregations on man-made structures. This overwintering behavior coincides with the onset of reproductive diapause, a winter survival strategy initiated by cessation of juvenile hormone (JH) secretions from the corpus allatum. Interference with this survival strategy, via interrupting diapause with topically applied juvenile-hormone analogues, may serve as a potential avenue for control of these pests. To test this hypothesis the effects of the JH analogues pyriproxyfen, methoprene and hydroprene, on sheltering behavior in H. halys as well as ovary development and egg production in both H. halys and M. cribraria was investigated. Results and potential future applications of insect growth regulators for interference with reproductive diapause, parasitoid rearing and their potential for use in a modified trap-and-kill approach are discussed.