Predation and parasitism by native and exotic natural enemies of Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) eggs augmented with semiochemicals and differing host stimuli

Abstract Escape from the natural enemy community by invasive species in their introduced range is a key determinant to their success. Historically in North America, there have been only low levels of predation and parasitism for Halyomorpha halys (Stal), the brown marmorated stink bug. In our study, we sought to determine whether prey-, predator-, or plant-associated stimuli increase mortality of H. halys egg masses, and whether the exotic parasitoid Trissolcus japonicus (Ashmead) is present in West Virginia or New Jersey. We deployed sentinel egg masses over two years in a variety of studies. We found that the H. halys aggregation pheromone was not used as a kairomone by natural enemies, the presence of methyl salicylate and varying host species stimuli did not impact egg mortality, and other predator attractants did not increase predation damage to egg masses. However, we documented Trissolcus japonicus for the first time in Jefferson Co., West Virginia, USA. Ultimately, our study suggests that other related stimuli and potential landscape factors should be investigated for increasing the impact of the natural community on H. halys .