Monday, 10 February 2020 11:53

New trap for brown marmorated stink bugs

Written by Staff Reporters

font size decrease font size increase font size
Print
Email

An adult brown marmorated stink bug.

Scientists have developed a new trap for brown marmorated stink bugs (BMSB).

The trap may help to control a future invasion in New Zealand of BMSB through the removal of future offspring by attracting and removing males and females.

Plant & Food Research says the future invasion of BMSB poses a serious risk to the New Zealand economy.

BMSB has caused enormous crop losses overseas and it has been intercepted at the New Zealand border a number of times.

Professor Max Suckling, science group leader at Plant & Food Research, and colleagues working in Italy (where BMSB have been destroying crops), have developed two traps that could be used in New Zealand for BSMB surveillance or eradication.

“The Nazgûl” trap is based on a “ghost net” design developed in the USA and contains a pheromone and insecticide-treated net attached to a coat hanger and suspended from a tree. “The name is derived from Tolkien’s Ringwraiths and was chosen to help elicit public support for biosecurity in New Zealand to help save ‘Middle Earth'," says Suckling.

During testing The Nazgûl caught and killed all mobile life stages of BMSB and 3.5 more nymphs and adult bugs than the low cost but inefficient sticky panel traps currently used for surveillance in New Zealand.

The scientists also developed a “live trap” which uses the wind direction, via wind vane, to trap bugs inside a pheromone-baited cylinder.

This trap caught up to 15-times more adult BMSB than the sticky panel traps and could be used to remove future offspring by attracting and removing females and nymphs.

“The traps are prototypes that could be used in future as part of a critical surveillance and/or semiochemical-based eradication response and work is ongoing,” says Suckling.

Featured

Feds Welcomes Labour Party Support For Sharemilking Law Review

Federated Farmers says it welcomes Labour's commitment to reviewing the Sharemilking Agreements Act, calling on other major parties to do the same.

How Wearable Tech Powers This 1,850-Cow Dairy Farm

For Canterbury dairy farmers Sian Meijer and Rick Wobben, wearable technology has become one of their most valuable on-farm tools - helping manage 1850 cows across an expansive, high-performing dairy operation while improving efficiency, mating outcomes and day-to-day decision making.

Fonterra FY26 Results: $9.69 Milk Price, $3.4bn Profit

Fonterra has unveiled its annual results for the 2026 financial year, posting $27 billion in revenue and close to $20 billion returned to New Zealand farmer owners and unit holders.

New Dairy Welfare Code Released, Takes Effect 2027

The first major update to the Dairy Cattle Code of Welfare in more than a decade has been released, marking what DairyNZ describes as an important step in ensuring animal welfare standards continue to evolve alongside scientific evidence and on-farm realities.

Ravensdown Elects Montgomery, Acland to Board

Ravensdown shareholders have elected Jane Montgomery and Kate Acland to the Ravensdown Board for three-year terms, following a closely contested director election.

Federated Farmers Welcomes RMA Replacement Passing

Federated Farmers says new legislation replacing the Resource Management Act will cut red tape, unlock investment and help grow New Zealand's export-led economy, after the Planning Bill and Natural Environment Bill passed their third reading in Parliament yesterday.