Stink Bug Management on Tomatoes

Stink Bug Management on
Tomatoes
Celeste Welty
Extension Entomologist
Ohio State University
January 2003
Stink Bug as a Tomato Pest
» Bugs suck on fruit
» Damage seen more often
than bug itself
» Damage often not
noticed until harvest
» Problem on whole-pack
& fresh market varieties
Stink Bug Damage on Tomato
» Obvious yellow blotch:
•  Develops after fruit ripens
if bugs fed on green fruit
» Subtle white cloudy-spot:
•  Seen after bugs fed on red
fruit
Stink Bug Damage on Tomato
yellow blotch cloudy spot
» Diagnose by
plugs of white
tissue under
the peel
Most common species in tomato fields:
the one-spotted stink bug (Euschistus variolarius)
Stink bug life stages
» Eggs
» Nymphs
(5 instars)
» Adult
Lab study to characterize
stink bug damage, 1996
» Start with hatching egg,
end with new adult
» One bug per dish with: •  1 green fruit
•  1 red fruit
•  1 leaf
» Fresh set-up every 4 days
Mean % of time
Stink bug behavior on tomato:
Location in observation arena
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Red fruit
Green fruit
Leaf
Dish
1
2
3
4
Instar
5
6
(adult)
% of fruit surface damaged
Percentage of tomato fruit surface
damaged by stink bugs during 4-day
periods from egg hatch to adult eclosion
50
40
30
Green fruit
Red fruit
20
10
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Time period
Corresponding instar:
I-II II-III II-III III-IV III-V IV-V V-Ad V-Ad V-Ad
Damage depth rating
Depth of feeding damage by stink bugs
on tomato during 4-day periods from egg
hatch to adult eclosion
Green fruit
3
Red fruit
2
1
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Time period
Corresponding instar:
I-II II-III II-III III-IV III-V IV-V V-Ad V-Ad V-Ad
Short lab study to further
characterize bug damage, 1997
» Compare stink bug &
tarnished plant bug
» Start with nymph or adult
» One bug per dish with: •  1 green fruit
•  1 red fruit
» Fresh set-up every week
for 2 weeks
50
green fruit
40
red fruit
30
20
stink bug
nymph
to adult
TPB,wk2
TPB,wk1
SBNA,wk2
stink bug
adult
SBN,wk1
0
SBA, wk2
10
SBA,wk1
% of surface affected
Damage by bugs feeding on red vs
green tomato fruit in two week test
tarnished
plant bug
Stink Bug Feeding Behavior
Conclusions
» Fruit preference: •  Bugs prefer green fruit over red fruit
» Life stages:
•  Adults & all nymph stages feed on fruit •  Older nymphs and new adults feed more
than younger nymphs and older adults
» Tarnished plant bug rarely feeds on
tomato fruit even if starved
Stink Bug on Tomato
» when does it enter tomato fields?
» where does it come from?
Stink Bug Scouting, 1998
Site
First damage
Central Ohio: » Columbus
» Miami Co.
» Darke-D
» Darke-K
» Darke -H
7/2
7/16
7/15
7/15
8/12 (latest)
Northern Ohio: » Sandusky-H
» Sandusky-B
» Sandusky-V
6/22 (earliest)
7/8
7/6
One-Spotted Stink Bug:
the wheat connection
1998 observations in wheat, Fremont:
» 15 - 29 May: » 14 - 24 June:
» 29 Jun.-1 Jul.:
» 1-2 July: Stink bug adults (old)
Stink bug nymphs
Nymphs & adults (new)
Adults in combined wheat
Stink Bug Dispersal from Wheat to Tomato
Fremont, 1998: % of samples damaged (10 samples/ bed)
Wheat Tomatoes
Soybean
Bed Bed Bed Bed Bed
#1
#5
#10 #20 #37
6/22 0
0
0
0
0
7/1 0
0
0
0
0
7/2-3 harvest
7/6 20% 10% 10% 0
10%
7/15 0
0
0
0
0
7/20 20% 50% 20% 0
10%
7/29 80% 70% 40% 50% 70%
8/3 30% 50% 40% 30% 90%
8/14 10% 50% 60% 30% 50%
Life History of the One-Spotted Stink Bug,
Euschistus variolarius
» overwinter in alfalfa?
» one generation in wheat,
May-June
» move to tomatoes (or
soybeans) in July, August
Stink Bug Control
» Action threshold?
» Which insecticide?
Fremont Ohio, 1999
30
20
Spray 8/3
●
adult
❍
nymph
■
fruit damage
■
Spray
8/23
10 plants @ 32 plots
100 fruit @ 32 plots
❍
●
❍
●
8/31/99
●
❍
●
8/17/99
■
8/11/99
❍
●
7/27/99
❍
●
■
7/20/99
7/15/99
7/6/99
●
❍
■
6/29/99
●
❍
■
6/22/99
●
❍
■
6/15/99
❍
●
■
6/9/99
❍
●
■
●
❍
■
●
❍
■
❍
8/2/99
■
0
■
■
10
6/4/99
Total number in all plots
Stink bug development in tomato research field
Stink Bug Insecticide Trials
» 5 trials:
•  1996 & 1997, Hillsboro
•  1998, Columbus
•  1999 & 2000, Fremont
» Products tested:
•  Penncap-M [lost after ‘99]
•  Warrior
•  Thiodan
•  Baythroid
•  Actara [registered 2001]
» All products equally effective
Stink Bug Insecticide Trial, 2000
Fremont, Ohio
variety = Peto 696
Treated 11 & 24 August
Harvested 11 September
50
40
% damaged
Warrior 3.2 oz
Actara 5 oz
Actara 4 oz
Baythroid 2.4 oz
Avaunt 3.5 oz
Untreated check
30
20
10
0
Red Breaker Green Total fruit
fruit
fruit
fruit
Stink Bug Management
» Scout:
•  weekly in July, August
•  examine 10 fruit at 40 locations/field
» Threshold:
0.5 - 1% fruit damage
(2 - 4 damaged out of 400 fruit)
» Insecticides: •  Thiodan
•  Warrior
•  Baythroid
•  (Actara) - but this use being dropped
•  fresh-market only: Monitor