Stink Bug Facts
Every year, as the weather gets cooler in the fall, insects start looking for a warm place to spend the winter. This is when we begin to notice the stink bugs. They are annoying little brown insects that release a smelly liquid when they are crushed. Although not a threat to humans, these insects have come to be quite bothersome as their numbers increase inside of our home.
They Just Love Fruit
They can also be quite destructive to fruit trees and other plants that are growing in the garden. In the fall, they attack apple and other fruit trees, sometimes ruining large portions of the harvest. The brown marmorated stink bug is not native to the US. They originate in China, Japan and Vietnam, but in 1996 they started to show up in Pennsylvania, and have been working their way around the US ever since. Stink bugs in Maryland and Virginia are becoming a serious problem, and with the approach of cooler fall weather, people will be looking for ways to get rid of them and keep them out of their homes.
Getting Rid Of Stink Bugs
The first step in getting rid of stink bugs is to recognize them, and to understand their life cycle. The brown marmorated stink bug is the most abundant and detrimental stink bug that home owners will come across this year. These insects are about 14 to 17 millimeters long, and are a dark and splotchy brown color. They are shaped like a shield and have 2 antennae that have alternating light and dark bands. They lay their light green barrel shaped eggs outdoors from June to August, quite often on the undersides of leaves of shade trees.
Things You Need To Know
Here is a list of facts about the stink bug. Useful information about this bug is quite hard to find. Liquid dish soap has been used with some success. I have used red pepper based products with great success. Red hot pepper seems to repel all sorts of bugs. I have tried it with ants, hornets, and stink bugs. It does not seem to have an immediate effect, but the following day the bugs are dead or gone. Here is a useful list.
1) They are an agricultural pest and do no harm to humans. However, bites have been reported.
2) The bugs have scent glands on their abdomen, and release the scent as a defense mechanism. If they are threatened they will release an offensive odor, which then attracts more bugs.
3) They enter homes in the fall in search of a protected warm place to hibernate. The bugs will enter your home through the smallest of cracks and hide behind baseboards, in drawers and bedding.
4) Stink Bugs do not reproduce inside the house. According to a study by Penn State, they will reproduce only in the outdoors.
5) They lay eggs on the underside of leaves in masses of 20 – 30 eggs. They can destroy gardens and crops. They poke a hole in the fruit or vegetable to suck the juice and then leave dark spots.
6) They do not cause damage to your home. But killing them in the house may cause them to release the offensive odor, which will attract more of the bothersome insects.
7) They emerge in the spring and lay eggs from May through August.
They feed on apples, peaches, soybeans ,corn and citrus fruit. They have become a major problem in the mid Atlantic states.
9) Stink Bugs live in orchards, gardens, and farms.
10) The bugs can live up to one year.
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Where Stink Bugs Came From
Stink bugs originated in China, Japan and Vietnam. They were first discovered in Allentown, Pennsylvania and then spread to neighboring states and beyond. Here is the latest report.
Where Are They Now?
The stink bugs invaded Maryland and appear to have taking roots. According to Dr. David Rivers, an entomologist at Loyola University, this year will seem tame in comparison to next year. The main problem is that there are no natural predators.
New Jersey reports as much as 70% of their apple crops have been damaged in northwestern New Jersey. The bugs are moving south and west and damaging crops along the way. The recent population explosion is attributed to the lack of control measures.
Tennessee has seen its share of the miserable bugs. They may be catching rides on cargo trucks in the eastern US. They are strong fliers and are becoming an established species in this area. No methods of control have been established and the best way to keep them out of the home is to seal it up.
The stinkbugs are expected to be worse this year in Virginia according to some researchers. Although these bugs are not considered a health hazard at this time, many people have reported higher than normal blood pressure readings. The presence alone of these bugs is causing havoc with homeowners. The thought of these bugs moving in is just more than some folks can tolerate.
South Carolina is reporting that the recent invasion of the Stink bugs is a plague. They have been reported to enter homes to escape the cold. The Asian climate from which they came is very similar to the climate in South Carolina.
Now Georgia checks in where a university researcher has determined that the stink bug has populated over half of the state. The insects are actually blanketing the outside of structures searching for a way in. The only remedy thus far seems to be a vacuum cleaner. Pesticides are too strong to use indoors and can be dangerous.
Without any known predators or pesticides to stop the invasion it appears that our only known defense thus far is a vacuum cleaner and freezing the contents.
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Here Come The Stink Bugs
If it is spring or fall, you are likely to be invaded by stink bugs. You will notice these smelly insects more during these two seasons than you will the other. Farmers are faced with the invasions even through the summer season.
Bug invasions occur in the spring time because these bugs stay sheltered throughout the winter months and come back out when it warms up. They just love the heat. This usually occurs in the month of April. When the bug comes out of “hiding”, they are hungry and the females are ready to lay there first set of eggs. While the males are swarming to feed themselves, the females are looking for the perfect leaf to lay their eggs on.
Crops Are In Jeopardy
This is also the time when farmers are out planting their crops. As the crops begin to sprout, the crops are invaded by both males and females. After the female has placed her eggs on a leaf, it can take as little as 5 days for them to hatch and as little as a week after that for the nymphs to get their wings. The female can lay up to 130 eggs at a time and mates about 4 times a year. You can see the potential for crop infestation.
Where Are They Now And Where Are Heading?
Stink bugs are now found in more than 30 states andas far west as Washington and California and as far south as Florida. They’re a nuisance in homes, but for farmers they’re a dangerous pest that can destroy crops. The USDA is looking to control the insects by importing their natural predator like the parasitic Asian wasp. There are almost 300 types of stink bugs in the United States and a lot of them are helpful because they eat other pests. So we need to know if these wasps will go after other stink bugs too.
Large numbers of stink bugs can be trouble. The insects have already destroyed fruit crops and infested homes in Delaware, Maryland,Virginia and Pennsylvania. Entomologists who track these stink bugs and their skunk-like odor have noted that when they’re alarmed, disturbed or threatened they will let off a foul odor.
Looking at the latest invasion of stink bugs to hit New York Sate is Cornell University. The bugs are here invading the fruit growing areas.
Long Island and the grape-growing areas of the Finger Lakes could be vulnerable. Experts say that bugs like to attach themselves to grapes and, if the bugs make it through the fermenting process, they can literally stink up a good bottle of wine.
Tags: asin, dangerous pest, Fall, fruit, fruit crops, leaf, natural predator, new yor, odor, Spring, stink bug, stink bugs
