Effectiveness of glues for harmonic radar tag attachment on Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) and their impact on adult survivorship and mobility.

We evaluated the effectiveness of three cyanoacrylate glues (trade names: Krazy [Elmer's Products Inc., Westerville, OH], Loctite [Henkel Corporation, Rocky Hill, CT], and FSA [Barnes Distribution, Cleveland, OH]) to attach harmonic radar tags securely on adult Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) and quantified the effect of the radar tag attachment on insect survivorship and mobility. In the laboratory, the strength of the glue bond between the radar tag and H. halys pronotum was significantly increased when the pronotum was sanded to remove cuticular waxes. The adhesive bond of the radar tag to the sanded pronotum of H. halys had strength of 160-190-g force and there was no significant difference among the three types of glue tested. The three glues had no measurable effect on the survivorship of radar-tagged H. halys over 7 d, compared with untagged insects. Over a 7-d period in the laboratory, horizontal distance traveled, horizontal walking velocity, and vertical climbing distance were all unaffected by the presence of the tags regardless of glue. A field experiment was conducted to compare the free flight behavior of untagged and radar-tagged H. halys. Adults were released on a vertical dowel and their flights were tracked visually up to ≍200 m from the release point. There was no significant difference in take-off time or in flight distance, time, or speed between untagged and radar-tagged individuals. In addition, prevailing flight direction was not significantly different between untagged and radar-tagged individuals. The absence of measurable impact of the radar tag attachment on H. halys survivorship or mobility validates the use of harmonic radar tags to study the dispersal ecology of this insect in field conditions.