There's little escape from a garden pest that has been increasingly showing up in yards and homes in the Northeast. Wreaking havoc on ornamental plants, vegetables and fruit trees, this pest, simply put, stinks.
The brown marmorated stink bug is not native to North America, but it hitched a ride over from China and Japan years ago. Since 1999, when the first documented cases of stink bugs were made, the bug has multiplied, so much so that stink bug plagues in many residential areas have become commonplace.
A stink bug is a true bug, feeding on many plants by piercing the host plant and sucking out juices with its proboscis. The penetrated area can develop necrosis and damage affected plants in many ways. In Japan, the bug is known to be a pest to fruit and soybean crops.
Stink bugs get their names from the scent glands on the underside of the thorax between the first and second pair of legs. If the bugs are squashed, they can emit a foul smell, which is primarily used to thwart would-be predators.
Stink bugs begin to feed in late May or early June. They can be seen in abundance in outdoor areas, clinging to window screens or walking along decks. Their size and appearance (almost an inch big, with a brown spiky-looking armor) often makes people weary of the bugs. Apart from the damage they do to plants, stink bugs are relatively harmless to people and pets. Although they have wings and can fly, stink bugs are generally content to travel on their legs.
Homeowners should keep in mind that stink bugs prefer to overwinter inside and hibernate. That means that come the fall season the bugs will seek entry to homes and buildings to beat the cold until they can venture out the next season. This is where they can be vexing to people. Coming across a stink bug tucked inside of a blanket or at the back of a closet can catch individuals off guard.
To prevent stink bugs from entering the home, homeowners can seal any openings to the outdoors as much as possible, caulking around windows and doors. Stink bugs can live up to a year or more and may reproduce several times if the weather conditions are right. It may be difficult to completely eradicate all pests.
Stink bugs do not bite or sting. If one is found inside or too close for comfort, the best idea is to have it walk onto something, like a piece of paper or fly swatter and move it outdoors. Crushing the bug can cause it to emit a foul odor, although one bug alone is not enough to stink up a home.
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