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8 CapitalPress.com May 15, 2015 Researchers study biological controls for stinkbugs, other pests By ERIC MORTENSON Brown marmorated stink bug Capital Press CORVALLIS — Vaughn Walton is in his 10th year at Oregon State University, a pe- riod that’s coincided with the arrival of invasive, damaging pests. Spotted wing drosophila, RU 6:' D WLQ\ IUXLW À\ WKDW lays its eggs primarily in rip- ening berries and causes them to collapse in a gooey mess, is number one on Walton’s list. Controlling it costs blue- berry and caneberry grow- ers an estimated $14 million to $15 million annually in Oregon alone, Walton said. They’ve gone from perhaps a single clean-up spray before harvest to six or seven sprays per season, he said. Now comes the brown marmorated stinkbug, or BMSB, which attacks every- thing the SWD favors plus a wide range of tree fruit and vegetables. Its mouthpiece is tough enough to pierce hazel- nut shells and to puncture ap- ples, pears and cherries. Wal- ton issued a special alert this year for wine grape growers, who are likely to see late sea- Courtesy of en.wikipedia.org Eric Mortenson/Capital Press Oregon State University’s Vaughn Walton, left, and Betsey Miller are researching the use of parasitic wasps to attack pests such as brown marmorated stinkbugs. son stinkbug infestations that could taint wine. “The economic impact may be bigger” than SWD, Walton said. Last year’s long, warm growing season, followed by a mild winter, allowed for ad- ditional generations of stink- bugs to make themselves at home. “Those populations are going to continue building,” Walton said. Increased pesticide use is the immediate control tool, but the expense of that in terms of money and public ill will may be unsustainable. Walton and other OSU re- searchers continue to press for biological controls of pests. One of the most promising options involves using tiny parasitic wasps, which insert their eggs into stinkbug eggs, for example. The wasp larvae feed on their hosts as they emerge. In China, a wasp called Trissolcus japonicus takes out 50 to 90 percent of the potential BMSB population. Oregon Department of Agri- culture researchers obtained some of the wasps from Chi- na for study under quarantine, but the process is complicated and strictly controlled. Binomial name: Halyomorpha halys Appearance: Shield shaped and dark, mottled brown Diet: Primarily tree fruits Life cycle: One or two generations in cooler climates; up to five in warmer ones Origin: Asia First observed in U.S.: 14-17 mm (Actual size) Mid-1990s Sources: Penn State Extension; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Capital Press graphic Researchers can’t just turn them loose and hope for the best. Among other things, they must show the wasps ZRQ¶W DWWDFN EHQH¿FLDO LQ- sects; some parasitoids aren’t particular. Walton and others are cheered by news that a na- tive population of Trissolcus japonicus has been found in Maryland. That discovery could loosen controls and speed up use of the wasp against BMSB on the West Coast. Walton wishes biologi- cal controls received more attention and funding. Com- pared to pesticides, targeted bio-control can be self-reg- ulating. As pest populations decrease, parasitoid numbers drop as well, he said. Meanwhile, OSU reminds growers of simple pest man- agement practices such as using weed fabric, the black mesh berry growers often place around plants. The ma- terial retains heat, and can fry pest larvae dropping from the plant. 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