Biological control of the Brown marmorated stink bug in the Lazio region through the parasitoid Trissolcus japonicus (Hymenoptera Scelionidae)
Author(s)
Lorenzo Austeri
Date Issued
2025
Type
conferenceObject
Abstract
Halyomorpha halys (Stål, 1855), also known as the Brown marmorated stink bug is an insect
native to East Asia. At the end of the 20th century, the pest was introduced to the United States
(Leskey et al., 2012), and the first reports in Europe occurred in the last decade in Switzerland.
In Italy, it was first detected in 2012 in Emilia-Romagna (Maistrello et al., 2014), while in
Trentino Alto-Adige (Fischnaller et al., 2022), it was confirmed in 2016. The pest feeds on the
leaves and fruits of more than 300 species of host plants and can cause significant damage to
agriculture. H. halys is an extremely polyphagous insect (feeding on over 170 plant species),
equipped with a piercing-sucking mouthpart. This highly invasive species is controlled through
chemical or biological control, primarily using the parasitoid wasp Trissolcus
japonicus (Ashmead, 1904) described in 2009 in China. The T. japonicus has shown an egg
parasitism efficacy ranging from 50% to 70%, increasing to 80% in the second generation. The
aim of this work is to mitigate the damage caused by the BSMB, particularly in hazelnut groves
in the Lazio region, through the release of the parasitoid Trissolcus japonicus in the field.
Currently, in the Lazio region, following the activity timeline outlined in the "Risk Analysis
Study" presented by the Lazio Region and authorized by the MASE (Ministry of Environment
and Energy Security), two releases of the antagonist T. japonicus have been carried out in 22
release sites across the provinces of Viterbo, Rome, and Latina. Post-release monitoring was
conducted to verify the establishment and effectiveness of T. japonicus by assessing egg masses
of BSMB and native species collected at the release sites.
Conference(s)
SEEDS OF INNOVATION PHD RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM