Characterization of Substrate-Borne Vibrational Signals of Euschistus servus (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae)

Problem statement: Stink bugs were not major pests of cotton in the s outheastern United States until cotton varieties containing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt ) transgenes came into common use, enabling reductions in insecticide applications aga inst highly destructive lepidopteran pests. To maintain the benefits of reduced insecticide applic ations, it would be advantageous to detect and targ et isolated populations of stink bugs before they rise to economically important levels. However, detection methods for these pests are less than opt imal, and alternative methods are being investigate d. One novel method of detection would be to exploit s ubstrate-borne vibrational signals of these bugs. Approach: To develop an effective vibration detection method , substrate-borne vibrational signals produced by different species commonly occurring in the region must be characterized sufficiently to enable detection of these species in the absence of visual observation. In this research, substrate - borne vibrational signals were recorded from the br own stink bug Euschistus servus . These signals were categorized by dominant frequency, duration, a nd repetition time using a Gaussian mixture model, revealing an assortment of "songs" in an aco ustic repertoire. Results: Females of E. servus emitted two distinct songs while males of E. servus emitted four distinct songs. Results indicated that the repertoire of this species differs from th at of other species in the same geographical locati on (southeastern United States) reported in previous l iterature. Conclusion/Recommendations: In conclusion, detection of pentatomid pests by their substrate-borne vibrational signals must include the parameters of each unique song of each species of stink bug to be detected, including those of the two female and four male songs of E. servus . The characterization of these songs will allow f or the development of a monitoring system in the field using strategically placed accelerometers to detect stink bug vibrational communication and thus provide a density map of the location of these pests.