Strumenti per il monitoraggio e controllo di Halyomorpha halys basati su semiochimici e vibrazioni, ed esperienze di “citizen science”

During 2016 the first individuals of the brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys, were found also in the Province of Trento and in the three-year period 2017-2019 the species continued its expansion on the territory, settling also in the main apple growing area of Val di Non, with populations that in 2019 inflicted the first significant damage. Therefore, in order to face this threat, an operational group was created to coordinate the activities of all technicians, researchers and producers involved in this issue in the Province of Trento. In addition to traditional information and monitoring activities, the staff of the Mach Foundation (FEM/C3A) has developed an application for smartphones, BugMap, which has made it possible, on the one hand, to automate the collection and validation of sampling data from technicians and, on the other, to develop a “citizen science” program in which reports made by volunteer citizens are taken into account. With regard to control methods, in addition to insecticides, which have shown only partial effectiveness, a number of alternative methods are being evaluated. In fact, research is underway to implement pheromone traps already on the market with vibrational signals and/or different architectures able to improve capture efficiency.