Invasion of Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs and how to control them

Halyomorpha halys Stål, the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB), is native of Eastern Asia, where it feeds on a large diversity of host plants. It was first observed outside Asia in the mid-1990’s in Pennsylvania (USA). Since, it has widely spread throughout the whole country. BMSB has been accidentally introduced in Switzerland, where first observations occurred in 2007. Europe presents ideal weather conditions for the pest installation and spread, as well as suitable agricultural landscapes and dense human activity. It is probable that the pest will have colonized a large part of Europe within the next decades.
BMSB can feed on various plant organs but preferring fruits. It is highly polyphagous in its native region and the most of its host plants are also present in Europe. It already causes huge yield losses in various orchards, crops and vineyards in its invaded areas. Long established integrated pest management strategies have all collapsed when BMSB invaded.
In the general goal of pesticide drastic reduction, there is an urgent need for research in biological control of this pest. We propose here a state of the art of such studies, concerning: entomopathogenic fungi, pheromone traps, parasitoids… Our own works on feeding behavior and salivary proteome aim to fill the gaps in the current knowledge of BMSB biology and on plant-insect interactions. We also call for scientific community and public vigilance, as the pest is already well established in neighboring countries of Benelux.