Study of the overwintering ecology of the hazelnut pest, Palomena prasina (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in a perspective of Integrated Pest Management

Palomena prasina, the green shield bug (GSB), is widely distributed in the Eurosiberian region. In the Southwest of France it is considered a serious pest of hazelnuts, its feeding punctures lead to blank hazelnuts and kernel necrosis, causing heavy losses in commercial orchards. To date, no Integrated Pest Management strategy is available to control P. prasina. Control strategies often focus on the pests’ spring-summer ecology, when they are in the field or in the vicinity of crops. However, the abundance of pest populations in crops is also related to their autumn-winter ecology.  The present work focussed on the autumn-winter ecology of P. prasina to identify new opportunities for this pest suppression. We investigate (i) where P. prasina overwinters, (ii) if it aggregates in its overwintering sites, and (iii) if it mates while overwintering. Samples were collected over a two-year period in different ecosystems (forests, hedges, orchards), in human-made structures, and habitats (litt...