Alison Dolan

The James Hutton Institute

Projects

Project Lead: Alison Dolan
The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) Halyomorpha halys is an invasive species of the shield bug family. It has been intercepted in the UK on several occasions, likely posing a ‘when’ not ‘if’ risk to crops. The BMSB attacks a wide range of hosts including raspberry and sweet cherry, two main soft and stone fruit crops grown in Scotland. The conditions in Scotland appear to be suitable for the establishment of this pest and the Scottish soft fruit industry are concerned about the threat. The soft fruit industry trades with countries with strict biosecurity measures for this pest, and assurances are being sought to verify that every measure is being taken to assess whether the pest is present in Scotland. A failure to do this could have economic consequences for both local markets and on Scottish export markets. This project will survey for BMSB presence and model the potential spread of BMSB in Scotland, including the likely effects of climate change.

Impact: Investigate the suitability of the Scottish climate for establishment and spread of the pest should it be introduced to provide data for a Scottish-specific BMSB risk assessment.

Publications

Horticulture, Agriculture | Final Report and Policy Document

Monitoring for BMSB in Scotland - Final Report and Policy Summary

March 2021

The increase in global trade brings with it the risk of spread of new pests and diseases into Scotland. Halyomorpha halys, Brown Marmorated Stinkbug (BMSB) is an invasive pest that has already become established in North America and several European countries. The insect aggregates inside houses over winter and can cause problems as an urban nuisance pest in homes as well as being a pest of agriculture. In this project, co-ordinated monitoring for the presence of BMSB was undertaken by teams at SASA and the James Hutton Institute. A reference collection of voucher specimens of common UK stinkbug species was established, including DNA barcoding. A process-oriented climate-based niche model was used by a team at SRUC to determine the areas in Scotland that are suitable for the establishment of BMSB under current and future climates.

Recommendations and suggested 'next steps', including encouraging further surveillance, are detailed in the report and policy summary documents.