Determination of the effects of different foods on the feeding and reproductive behaviour of Halyamorpha halys (Stål, 1855)

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of different foods on the feeding and reproductive behaviour of Halyamorpha halys (Stål, 1855) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) (Brown marmorated stink bug). The individuals used in the study were reared in a climate cabinet with a photoperiod of 16/8 at 30±1°C and 65±10% relative humidity. Ten adults of H. halys were reared in a square plastic container with a diameter of 25 cm × 9 cm in height (in a circular container with four 5 cm diameter ventilation holes along the sides of the container to provide air circulation) and a length of 30 cm × 23 cm in width × 10 cm in height. Eggs were taken from the adult individuals brought from the nature after about 1 month. The eggs were transferred to smaller containers and their hatching was monitored, and the nymphs hatched from the eggs were fed mostly with carrots and soya beans until they became adults and died. F1, F2 and F3 progeny were produced from the laboratory progeny and experiments were established with the same eggs obtained from F3 progeny. The new generation of nymphs hatched from the same eggs were fed only with carrot, soya bean or apricot. After the individuals became adults, the adults obtained from the laboratory progeny were fed with the same food with which the nymphs were fed and the hatching, nymph and adult periods, preoviposition, oviposition and postoviposition periods were determined in a total of 60 individuals until 20 individuals of each food died from eggs. As a result of the Chi-square test on the adult stage and mortality of H. halys' individuals fed with different foods, the calculated Chi-square value was calculated as χ2=1.600. The difference between Soya, Carrot and Apricot was not statistically significant (p>0.05). In the statistical evaluation by ANOVA, there was a statistically significant difference between the time to maturity of Soya, Carrot and Apricot groups (p<0.05). Soya and carrot treatments were found to have significantly shorter adult stages than apricot treatment. After reaching the adult stage, the total number of egg packages given by 5 females fed with soya was 27 and 28x27=756 eggs in the package, and the total number of egg packages given by 5 females in carrot was 20 and 20x27=540 eggs in total. There was no egg laying in apricot. Soya-fed individuals laid 594 out of 756 eggs and carrot-fed individuals laid 453 out of 540 eggs. As a result of the Chi-square test performed between the number of eggs laid by the pairs and the feeding types, the calculated Chi-square value was χ2=18.559. The difference between the number of laying of soya, carrot and apricot pairs was statistically significant (p<0.05). The oviposition numbers of soya and carrot pairs were found to be significantly higher than apricot pairs. There was a statistically significant difference (p<0.05) between the 1st, 2nd and 3rd nymphal stages of the species fed with soya, carrot and apricot. The apricot-fed species spent significantly longer in the 1st nymphal stage than the soya and carrot-fed species (Figure 11). Soya and apricot-fed species spent significantly longer in the 2nd period than carrot-fed species (Figure 12). Apricot-fed species had significantly longer 3rd instar than soya and carrot-fed species (Figure 12). In the study carried out to determine the preoviposition time of adult females according to the foods, H. halys nymphs were brought together with male individuals after they became adults in soya, carrot and apricot plants and their preoviposition time until they laid eggs was determined. This period was between 14-23 days in soya-fed females, between 11-20 days in carrot-fed individuals, and in apricot individuals, this period could not be calculated because none of the adult females were oviposited and died. In the study carried out to determine the oviposition time of adult females according to food, H. halys nymphs were brought together with male individuals after they became adults in soya, carrot and apricot plants and their oviposition times were determined. Since apricot-fed individuals died without laying eggs, the oviposition time was calculated only in soya and carrot-fed adults. This period was between 17-26 days in soya-fed females, between 15-32 days in carrot-fed individuals, and in apricot individuals, this period could not be calculated because none of the adult females were oviposited and died. In addition, it was determined that soya-fed adults started laying eggs 14, 17, 20, 22 and 23 days after emergence and carrot-fed individuals started laying eggs on days 11, 14, 19 and 20 after emergence. In apricot fruit, female individuals of H. halys did not produce eggs after becoming adults and started to die on days 6, 7 and 8. In the study for the calculation of the postoviposition period of the species, this period could not be calculated because the female individuals fed on soya food were between 2-9 days, carrot-fed individuals were between 4-13 days, and in apricot individuals, none of the adult females did not lay eggs and died.