SEASONAL FLUCTUATION OF STINK BUG MUSTHA SPINULOSA (LEFEBVRE, 1831) (HEMIPTERA, PENTATOMIDAE) ON SOME TREES IN ERBIL CITY

Phytophagous stink bugs (Hemiptera,Pentatomidae) are economically important insect pests of fruit, vegetable, nut and field crops. This study was carried out duringthe season of 2013 in orchards within Erbil city, to follow the stink bug Mustha spinulosa(Lefebvre, 1831) seasonal fluctuation on some fruit trees: olive, plum, apricot, pear, apple and almond. The stink bug reaches its maximum abundance throughout the second week of August (38.2/tree) coinciding with mean temperature and relative humidity of 33.40C and 28.14% respectively, and the highest total mean of the number of the insect was recorded on the olive trees (181.8/tree). The study reveals that the stink bug attacked 22 trees (fruit and forest) while it has not attack any herbal plant.