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A natural way to monitor, and possibly control populations of, stink bugs

Date:
July 16, 2014
Source:
American Chemical Society
Summary:
Anyone who has squashed a stink bug knows why they got their name. Although just a nuisance to homeowners, the insects feed on and damage fruits and vegetables, causing significant economic losses for farmers. Now scientists have discovered certain stink bug pheromone components and made them artificially in the lab for the first time, and these substances can be used to monitor and manage their populations.
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FULL STORY

Anyone who has squashed a stink bug knows why they got their name. Although just a nuisance to homeowners, the insects feed on and damage fruits and vegetables, causing significant economic losses for farmers. Now scientists report in ACS' Journal of Natural Products that they've discovered certain stink bug pheromone components and made them artificially in the lab for the first time, and these substances can be used to monitor and manage their populations.

Ashot Khrimian and colleagues explain that the brown marmorated stink bug, also known as Halyomorpha halys, is an invasive pest from Asia that now is found in most of the U.S., as well as parts of Canada and Europe. These flat, "shield-shaped" insects flap around noisily in homes, especially in the fall, as they seek places to hibernate during the winter. But the real problem lies in their summer activities, when they eat fruits, vegetables and other important crops. It's these summer activities that have prompted efforts to reduce their populations.

These stinkers emit pheromones, or chemicals, that tell others of their species to come closer. Scientists could potentially use the substances to lure brown marmorated stink bugs to a specific spot so that they can count them and determine better ways to manage their expanding numbers, as they do for other insects.

Khrimian's team discovered and reported the chemical architectures of two pheromone components. They did this by studying closely related compounds. When used out in field tests, the two components attracted adult and juvenile brown marmorated stink bugs. Because these compounds didn't have to be pure, the researchers could use relatively inexpensive mixtures to trap this stink bug.


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Materials provided by American Chemical Society. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Ashot Khrimian, Aijun Zhang, Donald C. Weber, Hsiao-Yung Ho, Jeffrey R. Aldrich, Karl E. Vermillion, Maxime A. Siegler, Shyam Shirali, Filadelfo Guzman, Tracy C. Leskey. Discovery of the Aggregation Pheromone of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Halyomorpha halys) through the Creation of Stereoisomeric Libraries of 1-Bisabolen-3-ols. Journal of Natural Products, 2014; 140625141038002 DOI: 10.1021/np5003753

Cite This Page:

American Chemical Society. "A natural way to monitor, and possibly control populations of, stink bugs." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 16 July 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/07/140716112759.htm>.
American Chemical Society. (2014, July 16). A natural way to monitor, and possibly control populations of, stink bugs. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 18, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/07/140716112759.htm
American Chemical Society. "A natural way to monitor, and possibly control populations of, stink bugs." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/07/140716112759.htm (accessed March 18, 2024).

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