Differential stink bug pyrethroid sensitivity associated with landscape composition in North Carolina soybean

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Entomology
• Pest Management
• Landscape Ecology

Background:

• Polyphagous pests like stink bugs are exposed to various insecticides due to diverse host plant use.
• The spatial and temporal distribution of crop hosts creates a mosaic influencing pest exposure and resistance selection.
• Understanding landscape impacts on insecticide susceptibility is vital for effective pest management strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between stink bug insecticide susceptibility and landscape composition in eastern North Carolina.
• To establish baseline data for monitoring insecticide resistance in key stink bug species.
• To assess how landscape-level host crop availability correlates with stink bug susceptibility to bifenthrin.

Main Methods:

• Collected stink bug populations from 35 locations in eastern North Carolina (2022-2024).
• Evaluated bifenthrin susceptibility using a glass-vial bioassay for three stink bug species: brown stink bug, green stink bug, and southern green stink bug.
• Employed a geospatial approach to analyze landscape composition and its correlation with insecticide susceptibility.

Main Results:

• Stink bug populations exhibited significant variation in their susceptibility to the insecticide bifenthrin.
• Species-level susceptibility to bifenthrin did not show a consistent relationship with the abundance or frequency of their respective host crops in the landscape.
• Baseline data on bifenthrin susceptibility for key pest species were successfully generated.

Conclusions:

• Insecticide susceptibility in stink bugs is variable and influenced by complex ecological factors.
• Landscape composition alone may not be the sole determinant of stink bug susceptibility patterns.
• The generated data are essential for developing future stink bug resistance monitoring programs and integrated pest management strategies.