Seasonal distribution of brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in peach and almond orchards in upper San Joaquin Valley in California

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is a serious pest of fruit crops in the USA.  In California, BMSB was first reported in the upper San Joaquin Valley in peach and almond orchards in 2016 and 2017, respectively. While BMSB damage on peaches is well characterized in the east coast, the seasonality of BMSB on peaches and almond, a new BMSB host in California is not well understood. We monitored BMSB populations by using BMSB lures in standard pyramid and sticky panel traps to examine seasonal distribution of BMSB populations in several peach and almond orchards from March to November, 2017-2020. The study showed that BMSB populations were active in peach and almond orchards from Mid-March through November and indicated two generations per year. On a separate study, fruit damage assessment in an infested almond orchard suggested a strong edge-effect in terms of crop damage, although no difference was observed in trap counts in the orchard. The information may be used in detecting and monitoring BMSB population in the orchard and make appropriate pest management decisions.