Search

Brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys, is native to Asia and has invaded North America and Europe inflicting serious agricultural damage to specialty and row crops. Tools to monitor the spread of H. halys include traps baited with the two-component aggregation pheromone (PHER), (3S,6S,7R,10S)-10,11-epoxy-1-bisabolen-3-ol and (3R,6S,7R,10S)-10,11-epoxy-1-bisabolen-3-ol, and pheromone synergist, methyl (2E,4E,6Z)-decatrienoate (MDT). Here, an international team of researchers conducted trials aimed at evaluating prototype commercial lures for H. halys to establish relative attractiveness of: 1) low and high loading rates of PHER and MDT for monitoring tools and attract and kill tactics; 2) polyethylene lure delivery substrates; and 3) the inclusion of ethyl (2E,4E,6Z)-decatrieonate (EDT), a compound that enhances captures when combined with PHER in lures. In general, PHER loading rate had a greater impact on overall trap captures compared with loading of MDT, but reductions in PHER loading and accompanying lower trap captures could be offset by increasing loading of MDT. As MDT is less expensive to produce, these findings enable reduced production costs. Traps baited with lures containing PHER and EDT resulted in numerically increased captures when EDT was loaded at a high rate, but captures were not significantly greater than those traps baited with lures containing standard PHER and MDT. Experimental polyethylene vial dispensers did not outperform standard lure dispensers; trap captures were significantly lower in most cases. Ultimately, these results will enable refinement of commercially available lures for H. halys to balance attraction and sensitivity with production cost. USDA-NIFA-SCRI [2016-51181-25409]; Hungarian Ministry for Innovation and Technology within the framework of the Higher Education Institutional Excellence Program [NKFIH-1159-6/2019]; scope of plant breeding and plant protection research of Szent Istvan University Published version We thank Chris Hott, Lee Carper, Anthony Rugh, Nate Brandt, Carson Wise John Cullum, and Erica Rudolph for excellent technical assistance. This research was supported by USDA-NIFA-SCRI 2016-51181-25409. This research was also supported by the Hungarian Ministry for Innovation and Technology within the framework of the Higher Education Institutional Excellence Program (NKFIH-1159-6/2019) in the scope of plant breeding and plant protection research of Szent Istvan University. Mention of commercial trade names is for the purposes of providing scientific information only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is an equal opportunity employer. Public domain – authored by a U.S. government employee

Simple Summary The management of invasive alien species is a very challenging task. For the brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys), classical biological control has been identified as the most suitable method to sustainably reduce its populations in the long-term. Among its natural enemies, two species were identified as the most promising candidates for biocontrol, Trissolcus japonicus and Trissolcus mitsukurii. Populations of these two species have recently been detected in Europe and to assess their distribution, a large-scale study was performed. Combining several monitoring methods, in four months (May–September 2019), a wide area covering northern Italy and parts of Switzerland was surveyed. The results showed that both species have spread into all types of habitats where H. halys is present and the parasitization of native species was rarely observed. Among native species, Anastatus bifasciatus was the predominant parasitoid of H. halys. This study supported the development of the first release program of Tr. japonicus in Europe. Abstract The brown marmorated stink bug Halyomorpha halys is an invasive agricultural pest with a worldwide distribution. Classical biological control has been identified as the most promising method to reduce the populations of H. halys. Adventive populations of two candidates for releases, Trissolcus japonicus and Trissolcus mitsukurii, have recently been detected in Europe. To assess their distribution and abundance, a large-scale survey was performed. From May to September 2019, a wide area covering northern Italy and parts of Switzerland was surveyed, highlighting the expanding distribution of both Tr. japonicus and Tr. mitsukurii. Within four years after their first detection in Europe, both species have rapidly spread into all types of habitats where H. halys is present, showing a wide distribution and continuous expansion. Both exotic Trissolcus showed high levels of parasitism rate towards H. halys, while parasitization of non-target species was a rare event. The generalist Anastatus bifasciatus was the predominant native parasitoid of H. halys, while the emergence of native scelionids from H. halys eggs was rarely observed. The presence of the hyperparasitoid Acroclisoides sinicus was also recorded. This study provided fundamental data that supported the development of the first inoculative release program of Tr. japonicus in Europe.

Post-COVID syndrome is characterized by the persistence of nonspecific disabling symptoms, even several months after the resolution of the infection, with clinical characteristics similar to fibromyalgia (FM) and a prevalence of 31%. We evaluated the effectiveness of physical exercise, in association with L-acetyl-carnitine (ALC) therapy, in patients with Post-COVID syndrome, on musculoskeletal pain, dyspnea, functional capacity, quality of life, and depression. We conducted an observational case-control study on patients with Post-COVID syndrome. The patients were randomly divided into two groups: a treatment group that received rehabilitation treatment in combination with ALC 500 mg therapy; a control group that received only rehabilitation treatment. Patients were assessed at the time of recruitment (T0) and one month after the end of therapy (T1), with the administration of rating scales: NRS, Barthel Dyspnea Index (NPI), 12-Item Short Form Survey (SF-12) scale, Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). The treatment group showed statistically higher variations in pain scores, quality of life, and depression. No statistically significant differences between the two groups emerged regarding changes in dyspnea and functional capacity scores. Combining exercise with ALC is a promising and effective treatment in the management of Post-COVID syndrome, especially for musculoskeletal pain, depression, and quality of life.

Halyomorpha halys is a global invasive species, native to Southeast Asia, that is threatening agriculture in invaded regions. Our objectives were to: 1) establish the attractiveness of semiochemical stimuli paired with field-deployed traps in Europe (Greece, Hungary, Italy, and Switzerland), compared with Maryland, USA, and 2) identify H. halys haplotypes recovered from traps at each location. We found qualitatively identical patterns of capture between sites located across Europe and in Maryland, USA. In both regions, captures of H. halys adults indicated a synergistic response to traps baited with the two component H. halys aggregation pheromone, and pheromone synergist, methyl (2E, 4E, 6Z)-decatrienoate when compared with either individually. Haplotype diversity in Europe based on trapped specimens was much greater than the USA, with five new haplotypes described here, probably indicating ongoing invasion and re-introduction of H. halys. By contrast, a single, previously identified haplotype was trapped in Maryland, USA, representing a single introduction. All H. halys haplotypes responded to each semiochemical in apparent proportion to their frequency in the overall population based on independently derived information from prior work. Taken together, these data suggest that pheromone-based technology will be of global utility for the monitoring of this important invasive species.