Life History Studies and Their Implications for Management of Stink Bugs

Life history studies are fundamental in order to the design of holistic integrated pest management programs (IPM). It impacts on the planning of the crop, for instance, in the choice of the cultivar, time of sowing, weed management, crop rotation among other issues. The Neotropical Region is one of the greater producers of agricultural commodities in the world, and, as the intensity of cultivation of crops in sequence within these agricultural systems gains momentum, such studies become mandatory. Nowadays, these agricultural systems form the so-called “green bridge”, i.e., a continuum of crops year-round, which provides food and shelter for many pests, in particular for stink bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae). These insects are major pests of commodities such as soybean and maize, causing significant reductions in grain yields every year. Therefore, there is a growing need to mitigate their impact on these crops using holistic IPM programs. This can be achieved by learning in greater details the activities of stink bugs throughout their life history.