Differential Susceptibility of Bagrada hilaris (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) to Different Species of Fungal Pathogens

Bagrada hilaris Burmeister (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is a pest of Palearctic origin. Its presence in the United States was first reported in 2008 and in Mexico in 2014; it affects brassica crops. There are practically no reports of natural enemies of B. hilaris in America. Entomopathogenic fungi are strong candidates for microbial control of this pest. Evaluating the susceptibility of this pest to fungi that are native to the region where they will be used is a sensible first step to finding candidate biological control agents. The aim of our research was to select potential microbial agents to control B. hilaris. Eleven isolates of Beauveria bassiana, Beauveria pseudobassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae, and Isaria fumosorosea were evaluated to determine the susceptibility of B. hilaris. Isolates of B. bassiana caused the highest mortality due to infection (100%) compared with the other isolates. The I. fumosorosea isolate caused the lowest percent mortality (56%). The two B. bassiana isolates Bb88 and AP3 were more virulent than M. anisopliae isolate Ma129. The sex of the insect had no effect on infection levels achieved by B. bassiana isolates Bb88 and AP3. The results of our study contribute valuable information for the development of fungal species with potential to manage B. hilaris populations. Field studies are the next step in order to develop these isolates as biological control agents of B. hilaris.