Harmonic Radar Tagging for Tracking Movement ofNezara viridula(Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)

Abstract

Harmonic radar tagging was investigated as a method for monitoring the movement of the southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula (L.) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae). Because adhesive toxicity and tag weight limit the use of this technology, initial efforts focused on selection of the optimal adhesive and design of harmonic radar tags to reduce impact on the movement of stink bugs. A design consisting of a 6-cm-long 0.10-mm-thick silver-plated copper monopole on the anode terminal of a three-contact Schottky barrier diode attached with Gorilla super glue provided a compromise between unimpaired movement and tracking range, adding an additional 8% to the weight of the stink bug while not significantly (P > 0.05) reducing walking or flying mobility in the laboratory. Recovery of tagged stink bugs in cotton, Gossypium hirsutum (L.), and fallow fields ranged from 10 to 75% after 24 h, whereas marked stink bugs were recovered at rates of 0-35% by using sweep net or drop cloth sampling. The distance dispersed in the field was not impacted (P > 0.05) by crop, tagged status, or gender of the insect. Future research should examine possible improvements to the harmonic radar transceiver and the wire antenna to decrease encumbrance.

Effect of Harmonic Radar Tagging onLycorma delicatula(Hemiptera: Fulgoridae) Nymphal Mobility and Survivorship

“…Our results showed that there was no adverse effect of a radar tag on the jumping capacity of L. delicatula; both radar-tagged and untagged individuals jumped, on average, about 64 cm. Given that the extra radar tag weight (about 3 mg) is only 6.5% of the average body weight of L. delicatula nymphs, it is understandable that radar tagging had no measurable impact on mobility; this is consistent with findings from other insects including beetles (Boiteau et al 2011;Gui et al 2012) and stink bugs (Lee et al 2013;Pilkay et al 2013).…”

“…For example, 47% of tagged Colorado potato beetles were not recovered in a field study due to individuals leaving the experimental arena, resting behind or within objects (e.g., soil cavities), or because radar tags were lost or damaged (Gui et al 2012). Although technical limitations still affect the recovery rate of tagged individuals, radar tracking provides direct and continuous measurement of insect dispersal with a much higher recovery rate than that possible with conventional markrecapture approaches (Pilkay et al 2013). This study confirms that harmonic radar tagging can be applied successfully to L. delicatula nymphs, and, therefore, it can serve as a useful tool to address dispersal capacity and behavior of this species and probably many others.…”

“…A unique feature of the radar systems is that the transponder of the radar tag does not require a battery, so the tag weighs only about 3 mg, which is light enough that many insects can carry it (Lee et al 2013). Recent studies have demonstrated that harmonic radar systems can be used to study hemipteran insects, including Halyomorpha halys Stål (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) (Lee et al 2013(Lee et al , 2014, Nezara viridula (L.) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) (Pilkay et al 2013), and Riptortus pedestris (F.) (Hemiptera: Alydidae) (Lee 2016). These studies confirm that radar tags can be attached securely to the adult stage of several insects without affecting their survival, walking mobility, or flight capacity.…”

Spatial and Temporal Dynamics of Stink Bugs in Southeastern Farmscapes

“…At present, stink bug movements are inferred through repeated sampling over time and cannot be directly observed. Harmonic radar tracking, which uses radio signals to locate and follow small animals and insects, is being investigated as a means to further elucidate the ecology and dispersal of stink bugs in the farmscape ( Pilkay et al. 2013a ).…”

Static and Moving Target Imaging Using Harmonic Radar

“…Prior work on the use of harmonic radar to detect and characterize moving targets has primarily focused on insect tracking [58,59] and respiration monitoring [60]. In both these applications, appropriate RF tags are attached to the target's body and the harmonically scattered signal is used for tracking or Doppler estimation.…”