Evidence of established brown marmorated stink bug populations in British Columbia, Canada
Citation
Abram, P. K., Hueppelsheuser, T., Acheampong, S., Clarke, P., Douglas, H., & Gariepy, T. D. (2018). Evidence of established brown marmorated stink bug populations in British Columbia, Canada. Journal of the Entomological Society of British Columbia, 114, 83-86.
Plain language summary
The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) came to North America from Asia in the late 1990s, and has caused major economic losses and increased insecticide applications in several crops (e.g. tree fruit, vegetables, ornamentals). This paper reports the first evidence that BMSB has become established at several locations in British Columbia, Canada. In 2015 and 2016, this pest was found at four different locations across the coastal and interior regions of BC. Actively reproducing populations of BMSB were found at two of these sites. Analysis of DNA samples from these newly discovered stink bug populations indicates that they have probably spread from the Pacific Northwest, USA, and are not the result of new introductions from Asia. These findings indicate that comprehensive monitoring and management strategies for this damaging pest need to be initiated in British Columbia.
Abstract
We report four new detections of the invasive agricultural pest Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hempitera: Pentatomidae), the brown marmorated stink bug, in the Lower Mainland and Okanagan Valley regions of British Columbia, Canada in 2015 and 2016. These finds included two confirmed breeding populations, as well as homeowner collections at the same residence in two consecutive years. Preliminary comparisons of mitochondrial DNA haplotypes from these collections suggest that H. halys populations in BC are the result of movement and spread of existing populations in North America, likely from the Pacific Northwest U.S.A.