(Undated)– We have a new invasive pest to deal with and it’s a smelly one. Creighton University Biology Professor Ted Burk, Ph.D., says residents in the midwest have been spotting a new pest in their homes this winter: the brown marmolated stink bug. It has a marbled brown and white appearance with a five-sided exterior. The pest originated from China and has been working its way across the U.S. Since the early 1990’s. Burk says they take up residence in houses during the winter, gaining entry through cracks, crevices and fireplaces…
“The first line of defense is to just try to seal up any way that they might get in your house. But once they’re in, it’s really not worth trying to control them chemically. They’re fairly resistant to some of the common household insecticides. And also they’re hiding in cracks and crevices to where it’s kind of hard to get at them. So the main thing to do is just kind of vacuum them up, collect them some how. You actually can buy little insect vacuums to vacuum them up in your house.”
He says you can also drown the bugs…
“You just get a tinfoil roasting pan or something like that, put an inch or so of soapy water in it, then take a desk lamp and shine it on the pan and the light will attract the stink bugs and they’ll drown in the soapy water.”
Burk says in the eastern U.S., thousands of brown marmolated stink bugs can be seen in homes over the winter. He says it’s difficult to predict whether the Midwest will see a similar volume. He says the brown marmolated stink bug isn’t breeding or feeding in houses over the winter, but they do produce a smell when they’re disturbed.
Burk says any increase could pose a threat to U.S. Agriculture as the brown marmolated stink bug has been known to feed on more than 300 different kinds of fruit and vegetable plants during the warmer months.
