Monday, 10 February 2020 11:53

New trap for brown marmorated stink bugs

Written by  Staff Reporters
An adult brown marmorated stink bug. 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. 

More like this

Stink bug campaign ramps up

Biosecurity New Zealand says it is ramping up a public awareness campaign designed to encourage people to report possible sightings of brown marmorated stink bug.

Eye out for stink bugs

A winter campaign is underway to help raise awareness of the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB).

High alert for stink bugs

Biosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor is warning travelling Kiwis to be vigilant as the high-season for the crop-eating brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) is under way.

Winning the war? BMSB in Georgia 2019

New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) was part of a small delegation that recently visited the beautiful country of Georgia, in the Caucasus region between Europe and Asia.

Featured

Sheep drench resistance costly

Analysis by Dunedin-based Techion New Zealand shows the cost of undetected drench resistance in sheep has exploded to an estimated $98 million a year.

Dairy sheep and goat turmoil

Dairy sheep and goat farmers are being told to reduce milk supply as processors face a slump in global demand for their products.

Hurry up and slow down!

OPINION: We have good friends from way back who had lived in one of our major cities for many years.

National

Knowing bugs means fewer drugs

A mastitis management company claims to deliver the fastest and most accurate mastitis testing available at scale for New Zealand…

Machinery & Products

AGTEK and ARGO part ways

After 12 years of representing the Landini and McCormick brands in New Zealand, Bay of Plenty-based AGTEK and the brands’…

100 years of Farmall Tractors

Returning after an enforced break, the Wheat and Wheels Rally will take place on the Lauriston -Barhill Road, North-East of…

JD unveils its latest beast

John Deere has unveiled its most powerful tractor ever, with the launch of the all new 9RX Series Tractor line-up…

Biggest Quadtrac coming to NZ!

In the biggest announcement that Case IH Australia/New Zealand has made around its tractor range, its biggest tractor is about…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Why?

OPINION: A mate of yours truly wants to know why the beef schedule differential is now more than 45-50 cents…

Fat to cut

OPINION: Your canine crusader understands that MPI were recently in front of the Parliamentary Primary Sector Select Committee for an…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter