Bioecology and management of Halyomorpha halys in fruit orchards in Southern Europe

Halyomorpha halys is an invasive fast-spreading pest of global importance native to East Asia, introduced and successfully established in the United States, Canada, Chile and Europe. In Northern Italy it quickly became a key-pest of fruit orchards and in 2019 estimated losses in fruit production exceeded €350mln. The fast spread and high damage caused by this pest forced growers to increase broad-spectrum insecticide treatments, seriously disrupting previous Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and Organic farming programs. To face H. halys, a task force made of farmers, technicians and researchers of public and private structures was established in Emilia Romagna, the region of first appearance, to investigate the bioecological features and identify appropriate approaches for its monitoring and sustainable management