Insect pests show diverse behaviors and the behaviors determine the economic importance and damage aspects of the pests. For effective pest management, it is fundamental to understand behavioral ecology of the pests and incorporate the information into applications of management tactics. Among behavioral ecology, dispersal and overwintering ecologies are largely unknown for many insect pests. In this presentation, new technologies, which can facilitate tracking of insect movement in field conditions, will be addressed with a case study of Riptortus pedestris (Hemiptera: Alydidae). Also, recent findings about overwintering ecology of R. pedestris will be covered. Finally, implications of these results for pest management will be discussed.

The bean bug, Riptortus pedestris (Hemiptera: Alydidae), is one of the major pests on leguminous crops especially in Korea and Japan. Because of its economic importance as crop pest, A large proportion of research on this species have focused on applied questions related to pest management tactics. In addition to the applied research, recent studies have also revealed an interesting relationship between R. pedestris and a gut symbiont Burkholderia sp. as an ideal model system for insect-microbe symbiotic interaction. Under this circumstance, our research group initiated a series of research projects to better understand behavioral ecology of R. pedestris and address its implications for both basic and applied questions. This presentation will cover various behavioral studies with R. pedestris including sublethal effects of insecticides, harmonic radar tracking, overwintering ecology, and symbiont acquisition mechanisms