Use of substrate-borne vibrational signals to attract the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, Halyomorpha halys

Despite the increasing number of studies on the use of acoustic stimuli to control agricultural pests, this approach is still theoretical. Many insect pests, in particular hemipterans, use vibrational signals for mating communication and therefore the application of a control strategy based on acoustic interference is a promising option. The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, Halyomorpha halys, is causing severe economic damage on many crops in the USA and Italy. We tested a female vibrational signal, Female Signal 2 (FS2), to attract males in different settings, such as natural substrate, arenas and a cage representing an acoustic trap. We used video tracking analysis and described the vibrational amplitude field around the individuals to study the male behaviour. We found that FS2 can attract more than 50% of males to the source point and has a strong “loitering” effect on searching males that tend to remain in the stimulated area. We concluded that FS2 exhibits good attractiveness to H. halys males and that its potential use as a tool integrated in the currently existing pheromone traps should be tested in the field.