Lethal and sublethal effects of long‐lasting insecticide‐treated nets on the invasive bug Halyomorpha halys

Abstract

Halyomorpha halys is a polyphagous insect species with an original eastern Asiatic distribution, which was recently and accidentally introduced in the USA and Europe, where it became a serious agricultural pest. Chemicals have been widely used for its control leading often to failure of IPM programmes. Several approaches aimed at pest monitoring and control are currently under investigation, for example trapping, screening, border management and biological control. In the present work, we investigated the lethal and sublethal effects of the use of a long-lasting insecticide-treated net (LLIN with α-cypermethrin), focusing on the perspective to control H. halys in an integrated approach. All experiments were carried out in the laboratory either in small arenas, at five exposure times (5, 15, 30, 45 and 60 min) or in large cages at 8 hr exposure. In small arenas, the LLIN induced sublethal effects and/or effectively killed the adults. A higher adult mortality was observed after longer exposure times (LT 90 was 51.64 min for females and 40.83 min for males). However, several specimens recovered from sublethal effects, with higher recovery rates after shorter exposure times. In the cage experiments, a significantly higher mortality (65% males and 75% of females) was recorded compared with controls. LLINs are physical barriers that can improve crop protection due to their insecticidal activity, and can be reasonably applied in various attract-and-kill systems both in glasshouses and in the field. K E Y W O R D Sα-cypermethrin, brown marmorated stink bug, IPM, long-lasting insecticide-treated net, pest control, pyrethroid

Long‐lasting insecticide‐treated nets: A new integrated pest management approach for Popillia japonica (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

“…Our data suggested the possible use of LLINs as part of IPM programs against the Japanese beetle, as proposed for other insect pests such as the Colorado potato beetle, plum curculio, brown marmorated stink bug, and bark beetles (Skrzecz et al ; Gökçe et al ; Sabbatini Peverieri et al , ). In fact, to date, the control methods of the Japanese beetle in Italy has mainly been based on biological control agents with soil applications against larvae (e.g., SFR Piemonte ; SFR Lombardia ).…”

“…The insecticide is protected from rapid degradation, and it is constantly released over time, so that the nets can be efficient for a longer period (months or years, depending on applications). The release of the AI is absorbed by insects through tarsal contacts; a given dose of acquired AI leads to lethal or sublethal effects according, for example, to insect species and exposure time on the nets (Sabbatini Peverieri et al ). Compared with common insecticide control methods like nets treated by conventional dipping used for human health purposes, LLINs have relevant advantages and minimum potential environmental effect (Guillet et al ): insecticidal activity is long‐lasting and no efforts are required to empty the traps.…”

“…Long‐lasting insecticide‐treated nets were proved to be effective in forest pest control against bark beetles (Wehnert and Müller ; John and Zeilhofer ; Skrzecz et al ) and are currently employed in forest protection and commercialized in some European countries. To date, in agriculture only very recent papers report experimental experiences on stink bugs (e.g., Halyomorpha halys ), aphids ( Aphis gossypii ), whiteflies ( Bemisia tabaci ), and coleopterans ( Leptinotarsa decemlineata and Conotrachelus nenuphar ) (Dáder et al ; Kuhar et al ; Sabbatini Peverieri et al , ; Gökçe et al ). Therefore, LLINs can be regarded as a pioneering strategy for pest control in agriculture.…”

Long-Lasting Insecticide Netting for Protecting Tree Stems from Attack by Ambrosia Beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae)

“…Insecticide-treated netting was initially designed for controlling mosquitoes [18], but has since been used for managing agricultural and forest pests [19][20][21][22][23][24]. Both the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and World Health Organization (WHO) have approved the use of treated netting for insect pest management [24,25].…”

Trapping Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs: “The Nazgȗl” Lure and Kill Nets

“…From a pest management perspective, knowing how the pest population moves into a crop is fundamental because it could help farmers to decide when and where to apply insecticides or other tactics to prevent economic losses [28]. Insecticide net systems have been developed for use outdoors in forestry [29], and the use of long-lasting insecticide nets has been under investigation for protecting crops from immigration by BMSB, although there have been issues, including poor efficacy at preventing damage [30][31][32]. The netting has also been investigated for reducing BMSB as a nuisance pest [3].…”