First reports of Halyomorpha halys in Belgium, Bulgaria and in Malta and update for other European countries
In Belgium three adults of Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae – formerly EPPO Alert List) were discovered over the last 8 years. The first specimen was captured in Soignies (Province of Hainaut) in 2011, the second photographed in Saint-Nicolas (Province of East Flanders) in 2017 and the third captured in Ransart (Province of Hainaut) in 2019 (Claerebout et al., 2019). The situation of Halyomorpha halys in Belgium can be described as follows: Present, few occurrences.
In Bulgaria, H. halys was first observed in Sofia in September 2016. 3 nymphs and one adult female were found in 2 sites on Hibiscus syriacus (Simov, 2016). The situation of Halyomorpha halys in Bulgaria can be described as follows: Present, first found in 2016 in one locality (Sofia).
In Iceland, H. halys has been intercepted 27 times between 2009 and 2019 in imported goods. Specimens were found near maritime ports, airports and warehouses (Claerebout et al., 2019). Intercepted only.
In Malta, H. halys was first observed in May 2018. A survey was conducted in 10 localities (9 on Malta and 1 on the island of Gozo) from March 15 to May 31, 2018 with sticky traps baited with aggregation pheromone. One single male was trapped near Freeport in Birżebbuġa on May 15. The authors considered that, as the specimen was very fresh and not damaged, it was most likely bred in Malta and that a small stable population already exists there (Tassini and Mifsud, 2019). The situation of Halyomorpha halys in Malta can be described as follows: Present, first found in 2018 in one locality (Birżebbuġa).
In Switzerland, H. halys is present in 20 out of 26 cantons (Claerebout et al., 2019). Present, widespread.
In Sweden, one specimen of H. halys was found in Danderyd (near Stockholm) in 2016 and one in Mjölby (Östergötland) in 2018. Intercepted only.
In Italy, Cianferoni et al. (2018) have reported findings in Abruzzo, Apulia, Campania, Calabria, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lazio, Liguria, Lombardia, Marche, Piemonte, Puglia, Sardinia, Sicilia, Toscana, Trentino-Alto Adige, and Valle d’Aosta. Present, widespread.
Claerebout et al. (2019) also reported findings of specimens in Albania (Vlora and Bera) in 2018, in Southern Poland (Dobczyce) in 2018, and in Ukraine in 2018.
Sources
Cianferoni F, Grazini F, Dioli P, Ceccolini F (2018) Review of the occurrence of Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) in Italy, with an update of its European and World distribution. Biologia 73(6), 599–607.
Claerebout S, Haye T, Olafsson E, Pannier E, Bultot J (2019) Premières occurrences de Halyomorpha halys (Stål, 1855) pour la Belgique et actualisation de sa répartition en Europe (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae). Bulletin de la Société royale belge d’Entomologie 154, 205-227.
Simov N (2016) The invasive brown marmorated stink bug Halyomorpha halys (Stål, 1855) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) already in Bulgaria. Ecologica Montenegrina 9, 51–53.
Tassini C, Mifsud D (2019) The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) in Malta. EPPO Bulletin 49(1), 132-136.https://doi.org/10.1111/epp.12557