Reducing the availability of mature fruit could stifle stinkbug population growth, a new study by university researchers found.
Researchers determined the presence of ripened fruits on trees positively correlates with an abundance of the smelly home invader, according to the study, published online June 25 in the Journal of Pest Science. The research team aimed to discover what attracts stinkbugs and when the insects are drawn by it, said Holly Martinson, a university entomology research associate and the study’s lead author.
“There’s been a lot of anecdotal evidence that suggests stinkbugs are attracted to ripe fruit,” Martinson said. “But no one had ever tested it.”
The study examined the numbers of stinkbugs on nearly 4,000 fruit-bearing trees in this state over the course of three years, Martinson said. Researchers found that the trees bearing ripe fruit attracted more than twice as many stinkbugs as those with immature fruit.
“The peaks of abundance matched up exactly to when the trees were fruiting,” Martinson said.
These observations were followed by a manipulative study in which researchers completely removed the fruit from about 30 of those trees. Devoid of fruit, these trees saw a dramatic reduction in stinkbugs, said Michael Raupp, a university entomology professor and co-author of the study.
Researchers concluded that planting fruitless trees could be key in driving off the ravenous pests. Moreover, planting varieties of fruit trees that mature when stinkbugs are less numerous could also help, Raupp said.
