Predatory ability of the ant Crematogaster scutellaris on the brown marmorated stink bug Halyomorpha halys

Castracani, Cristina; Bulgarini, Giacomo; Giannetti, Daniele; Spotti, Fiorenza Augusta; Maistrello, Lara; Mori, Alessandra; Grasso, Donató A.

doi:10.1007/s10340-017-0889-1

Cited by 34 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Our analysis on the effects of the ants on plant health proves a positive effect on leaf damages and a decrease in phytophagous insects due to the ant presence. This result is consistent with the positive impact of ants on plant predators reported in many field and laboratory studies [24,25,70,71,72,73,74]. The defensive outcome may follow from the deterrent effect of ant presence and patrolling on other insects, or from direct attacks on phytophagous arthropods or their eggs [28,75].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Gall-Colonizing Ants and Their Role as Plant Defenders: From ’Bad Job’ to ’Useful Service’

Giannetti

Castracani

Spotti

et al. 2019

Insects

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Galls are neoformed structures on host plant tissues caused by the attack of insects or other organisms. They support different communities of specialized parasitic insects (the gall inducers), and can also provide refuge to other insects, such as moths, beetles and ants, referred to as secondary occupants. This study focuses on galls induced by the oak gall wasp Andricus quercustozae and secondarily colonized by ants in a mixed oak forest. A field survey and two experiments were carried out to a) study ant (species-specific) preferences for different features of the galls, b) describe differences in gall architecture due to ant activity, c) analyse the effects of the presence of gall-dwelling ants on plant health. The results show that there are differences between ant species in gall colonization and in the alteration of gall opening and inner structure. We verified that gall-dwelling ants protect their host plants efficiently, offering them an indirect defence mechanism against enemies (predators and pathogens). The data suggest a new paradigm in ant–plant relationships mediated by the presence of galls on the plants whose ecological and evolutionary implications are discussed.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Gall-Colonizing Ants and Their Role as Plant Defenders: From ’Bad Job’ to ’Useful Service’

Giannetti

Castracani

Spotti

et al. 2019

Insects

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“…In our survey, we observed residues of eggshells, possibly preyed by chewing predators, but their identity remains unknown. Occasionally, unidentified ant species were observed entering the sleeve cages, which may explain some of the chewing damage on eggs inside the cages, although Castracani et al () observed that ants belonging to the species Crematogaster scutellaris Olivier were not able to prey on eggs in laboratory conditions. Some of the observed egg consumption by sucking predators within the sleeve cages was likely due to cannibalism.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, egg predation by tettigonids and carabids can exceed 35% (Morrison et al, ; Pote & Nielsen, ) in some habitats. In Europe, it was shown that in laboratory conditions Crematogaster scutellaris (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) does not consume H. halys eggs but efficiently preys on all nymphal instars of H. halys (Castracani et al, ). Under field conditions, egg predation in Switzerland reached up to 70%; however, the predator community remained unknown (Haye, Gariepy, et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Surveying native egg parasitoids and predators of the invasive Halyomorpha halys in Northern Italy

Costi

Haye

Maistrello

2018

J Applied Entomology

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The invasive Halyomorpha halys (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) is a key pest of fruits in the Emilia‐Romagna region of Italy. For the development of a sustainable management programme, knowledge of its native natural enemy community and its efficacy is essential. A three‐year field survey was conducted exposing H. halys egg masses in different types of habitats to investigate the efficacy of native natural enemies in reducing the H. halys populations in the Emilia‐Romagna region, where the stinkbug was first detected in 2012. Over the first year of the study, sentinel eggs from laboratory cultures were stapled to the underside of leaves in various host trees, whereas in following years H. halys adults were directly caged on branches in sleeve cages to allow natural oviposition. Over the examined years, low rates of parasitism (1%–3%) and predation (2%–5%) were observed. Parasitism was caused exclusively by the generalist parasitoid Anastatus bifasciatus.

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“…Only a few studies have dealt with ants in Italian agroecosystems (e.g., [71][72][73][74][75][76][77]). However, native ant species common in Italy and in the Mediterranean basin could be effective control agents against highly problematic pests such as the exotic brown marmorated stink bug Halyomorpha halys (Stål, 1855) [78], fungi and other herbivores [79]. In some cases, common harvester ants may have a positive role in the control of weeds [80].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New Tools for Conservation Biological Control: Testing Ant-Attracting Artificial Nectaries to Employ Ants as Plant Defenders

Schifani

Castracani

Giannetti

et al. 2020

Insects

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Knowledge of the role of ants in many agroecosystems is relatively scarce, and in temperate regions the possibility to exploit ants as biocontrol agents for crop protection is still largely unexplored. Drawing inspiration from mutualistic ant-plant relationships mediated by extrafloral nectaries (EFNs), we tested the use of artificial nectaries (ANs) in order to increase ant activity on pear trees and to evaluate the effects on the arthropods, plant health and fruit production. While EFNs secrete a complex solution mainly composed of sugars and amino acids, ANs were filled with water and sucrose only. The results suggest that ANs can be used as manipulative instruments to increase ant activity over long periods of time. High ant activity was significantly linked to lower incidence of the pathogen fungus Venturia pyrina (pear scab) on pear leaves, and of the presence of Cydia pomonella (codling moth) caterpillars on pear fruit production. These results further encourage exploring underrated possibilities in the development of new tools for conservation biological control (CBC).

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Predatory ability of the ant Crematogaster scutellaris on the brown marmorated stink bug Halyomorpha halys

Cited by 34 publications

References 44 publications

Gall-Colonizing Ants and Their Role as Plant Defenders: From ’Bad Job’ to ’Useful Service’

Gall-Colonizing Ants and Their Role as Plant Defenders: From ’Bad Job’ to ’Useful Service’

Surveying native egg parasitoids and predators of the invasive Halyomorpha halys in Northern Italy

New Tools for Conservation Biological Control: Testing Ant-Attracting Artificial Nectaries to Employ Ants as Plant Defenders

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