BIOLOGICAL CONTROL OF BAGRADA BUG (UCB)

• Sponsoring Institution: Agricultural Research Service/USDA
• Project Status: ACTIVE
• Funding Source: USDA COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 0438339
• Project Start Date: Sep 1, 2020
• Project End Date: Jan 31, 2022
• Program Code: [(N/A)]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY
(N/A)
BERKELEY,CA 94720

Performing Department
(N/A)

Non Technical Summary
(N/A)

Animal Health Component

60%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

40%

Applied

60%

Developmental

0%

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
215	0320	1130	50%
216	1610	1130	50%

Knowledge Area
215 - Biological Control of Pests Affecting Plants; 216 - Integrated Pest Management Systems;

Subject Of Investigation
0320 - Watersheds; 1610 - Pasture;

Field Of Science
1130 - Entomology and acarology;

Keywords

biological

control

parasitoids

pentatomidae

host

specificity

non-target

Goals / Objectives
1) Collect and maintain candidate stinkbug species for non-target testing and improve rearing protocols as needed; and 2) Test the host specificity two bagrada bug parasitoids, Gryon gonikopalense and Trissolcus hyalinipennis.

Project Methods
To provide candidate species for non-target testing, 5-6 stinkbug species will be collected in locations throughout Northern California. Insect cultures will be maintained year-round. Host specificity testing will be measured in two phases, first using ⿿no-choice⿿ testing followed by ⿿choice⿿ tests. During the first phase the parasitoid will be exposed to just one species of egg. Those non-target stink bug species successfully attacked by the candidate parasitoid will be subjected to ⿿choice tests,⿿ whereby the parasitoid is exposed simultaneously to eggs of two stink bug species: bagrada bug and one of the non-target stink bugs. For these tests, clusters of fresh stink bug eggs (<24 h old) will be glued onto card stock strips using drops of Gorilla® glue and placed in glass vials. For no-choice tests, one mated female parasitoid will be released into each vial and removed after 24 hours. The placement of egg strips in choice tests will mimic natural conditions; bagrada bug eggs will be placed on sand on the cage floor and eggs of non-target species will be elevated 6cm from the cage floor on leaves of their preferred host plant. Eggs will then be monitored (for choice tests, egg strips from the target and non-target stink bug species will be placed in separate vials after exposure to parasitoids), and numbers of emerging parasitoids (by sex) and days to parasitoid emergence will be recorded. Eggs without emerging stink bugs or parasitoids will be dissected to record numbers of parasitoid larvae that failed to complete development. This information will help determine the suitability of the different stink bug species as hosts for the parasitoids.