Stink Bug Predator Pt 2

Stink Bug Predator Pt 2

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
With today's Fruit Grower Report, I'm Bob Larson. A Goliath by comparison, the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug has its own "David" to worry about called the Samurai Wasp.

Researchers at Oregon State University have been studying the tiny predator's effectiveness for the past couple of years ...

LOWENSTEIN ... "From the work that we've done in the lab, Samurai Wasps parasitizes pretty close to 100% of Brown Marmorated Stink Bug eggs. We present it with stink bug eggs in a whole variety of experiments and it does a really good job of reproducing inside of them. In the field as well, those parasitism rates are about 60 to 80% in China. And we do find evidence of the Samurai Wasps parasitizing BMSB eggs, at least in metropolitan Portland."

OSU Entomologist David Lowenstein says the next step is field testing in orchards ...

LOWENSTEIN ... "So, it's a very tiny wasp. I mean, it's the size of period in a sentence. So, if we release this in orchards, we don't know if it's going to be effective throughout the entire orchard, will it disburse anywhere that there's BMSB, or will it be most effective near orchard edges or other annual crop edges? So, there's a lot of information that researchers, including myself, we're working on starting now to understand the Samurai Wasps biology in the field."

Lowenstein says the Samurai Wasp could become a key player in managing Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs. He encourages anyone who notices stink bug eggs with tiny little wasps hanging around to contact the OSU Extension office and let them know when and where you see them.

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