Predation of the brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys by the Japanese acrobat ants, Crematogaster matsumurai and Crematogaster osakensis

Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is an invasive pest native to Asia that causes severe economic losses in agriculture around the world. Although chemical control is relied upon for control of this pest, better long-term solutions are needed to achieve sustainable control. Currently, information is scarce on the complex of predators regulating populations of H. halys in its native region. Through laboratory bio-assays, we investigated the predatory ability of two species of acrobat ant native to Japan, Crematogaster matsumurai and C. osakensis, and the invasive Argentine ant, Linepithema humile, presented with different immature life stages of H. halys. Results indicated that these Japanese Crematogaster ants did not prey on the H. halys eggs or affect their eclosion, but did reduce the survival of early (first, second, and third) instar nymphs. Crematogaster matsumurai limited the survival of first, second, and third instar nymphs to 0%, 40%, and 73% respectively, and C. osakensis reduced their survival to 0%, 13%, and 60%, respectively. Predation of immature H. halys by L. humile reduced the survival of all instars to zero under the laboratory conditions. These data suggest that generalist Japanese Crematogaster ants may play an important role in reducing immature survival of H. halys in their native range, but likely act additively with other natural enemies that inflict mortality on different life stages. This work demonstrates that ants deserve consideration in the development of integrated pest management strategies for H. halys.

Automated summary

The study found that Japanese acrobat ants have a certain impact on the survival rate of Halyomorpha halys nymphs, reducing their numbers in their native range. However, they may need to act in conjunction with other natural enemies to cause mortality in different growth stages of H. halys.