Seasonal dynamics of pheromone traps and lures to monitor stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in soybean

Abstract Stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) are major pests of soybean in the southeastern United States, causing $279 million in soybean costs and losses over the past 6 years. Current field-based direct scouting techniques could be supported by indirect monitoring systems. This study evaluated the effectiveness of seven pheromone trap types (delta, black pyramid, yellow pyramid, blue, clear, yellow, and white sticky cards) and two lure types/formulation to capture stink bugs across 68 soybean fields. From August to December 2023 and 2024, we checked the traps twice a month, counted stink bugs, identified stink bug species, and recorded trap captures at each soybean growth stage. Stink bug abundance varied by trap and lure combination. Pyramid traps captured the greatest species diversity. Trap captures also varied across soybean reproductive stages, with species-specific peaks occurring from flowering (R1) to maturity (R7). The dual-component lure (murgantiol <1%, methyl E, E, Z-2,4,6-decatrienoate <1%) consistently attracted more stink bugs than the single-component lure (methyl 2-E, 4Z-decadienoate <1%). These findings demonstrate that ground-deployed pyramid traps combined with dual-component lures may be effective tools for monitoring economically important stink bug species. Future research should explore the correlation between trap captures and in-field stink bug densities.