Study of aestivation and hibernation of Carpocoris coreanus Distant, 1899 (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) on Safin Mountain in Erbil – Iraq

The present paper deals with the hibernation and aestivation locations of the Indian meal moth Carpocoris corinus Distant (Stink bug), which attacks different crops and plants of economic importance in the field. Then, it migrated to aestivation and hibernation sites on Safin Mountain in Erbil City from July 2023 to March 2024. It has been found that the period of aestivation beneath the wild plant Astragalus russelii, Euphorbia peplus L., and Thymbra vulgaris (Thyme). Also, spend the hibernation period underneath the falling leaves of Quercus aegilops L., Quercus infectoria L., and Pistacia atlantica V. Kurdica. The average number of adults was 420.83 adults/10 m2 at the top of the mountain in July 2023, while the lowest lasted 10.25 adults/10 m2 in March 2024. The highest number of insect adults at the top of the mountain was 66.25 adults /10 m2 in November 2023; still, the lowest number was 10.25 adults /10 m2 in March 2024, then the highest number in the middle of the mountain was 7.33 adults /10 m2 in December 2023, while the lowest approached 3.66 adults /10 m2 in March 2024. At the mountain base, 0.62 adults/10 m2 were recorded during November 2023, which increased to 9.83 adults /10 m2 in March 2024. The existence of adults on the mountain, Safin, Korac, Bradost, Hassan bag, Zozic, Handren, Kalander, Pearan and Sheren takes 515, 768, 1261, 576, 227, 119, 472, 270 and 752 adults /10 m2 respectively in Summer 2023. In Summer 2024, the count represented 240, 162, 374, 222, 187, 94, 243, 151, and 264 adults /10 m2 respectively.