To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
Date: Fri, 4 Mar 2011 17:49:38 -0500
On Mar 4, 2011, at 4:59 PM, Deb S wrote:
Every time I hear about this I wonder what the Chinese and other Asian
countries do about it. Anyone know?
Wherever it comes from, there's probably something there that eats it,
and helps keep it under control. Importing whatever eats it, however,
might or might not be a bright idea, as whatever that is might cause
its own problems. Possible predators generally need to be carefully
investigated before deciding whether they can be safely imported; and
this process can take years. There do seem to be people working on it:
"A newly described species, Trissolcus halymorphae Yang
(Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) is an egg parasitoid that has been
identified as the primary biological control agent responsible for the
management of BMSB in northern China (Yang et al. 2009). This
parasitoid averages a 50% mortality rate for BMSB populations, and it
was the only natural enemy identified with a mortality rate exceeding
10%. Trissolcus halymorphae is currently not known to occur in the
U.S. with existing populations of BMSB."
"Pheromone traps for this insect are under development but are not yet
available commercially. Most stink bugs are attacked by a variety of
natural enemies, especially insect predators and parasitoids. Research
has shown that native North American beneficial insects don’t show
much interest in BMSB, however, and there are no commercially
available beneficial insects that effectively attack BMSB. USDA
entomologists are studying the feasibility of introducing effective
BMSB natural enemies from Asia that are safe and specific to the stink
bug and which would offer some long-term relief."
-- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 5 mostly
Fresh-market organic produce, small scale