“Acid For Blood”: Guest Blog By Nick Rhodehamel

In the 1986 science fiction thriller Aliens, a party of soldiers and advisors has an encounter on a far distant planet with the movie’s monsters. This encounter makes clear to them that these creatures are virtually unstoppable by ordinary means. The main character advocates that they “dust off” and nuke the entire area from orbit. “It’s the only way to be sure…”, she demurs. Some problems have easy solutions.

At Burpee’s Fordhook Farm outside of Philadelphia, with warmer weather at hand, the brown marmorated stink bug—Halyomorpha halys (BMSB)—is on the move again. BMSB is an alien, invasive insect native to deep western Asia that is thought to have been brought here on shipping crates from China sometime in the mid 1990s. BMSB was positively identified only in 2001, but it is a strong flier and good at hitching rides on cargo and vehicles and has rapidly spread from its point of entry in eastern Pennsylvania. It may not yet have resident breeding populations everywhere it’s been recorded, but so far it’s been spotted in 33 U.S. states and several Canadian provinces (see https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8hW06DporNY/TWqMR-Gd2PI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/DLYfuk2c2BI/s1600/BMSBasof24Feb2011v4_2.JPG).

The initial complaints about BMSB were home invasion. Looking for warmth as temperatures cooled in fall, they come indoors and make themselves at home—and a nuisance throughout winter. They will not damage structures or bite humans or pets, but there can be lots of them in a home. They seek places to hide—behind picture frames and in attic spaces. But on warm days particularly, they fly into windows and lights, drop onto dinner tables during meals, and stink when startled or killed.  However, beyond the great nuisance factor, which should not be minimized, there’s an even bigger problem.

Entomologists at federal, state and private organizations all agree that BMSB populations will explode this summer in the mid Atlantic region. Peach generally suffers stink bug damage, and peach growers there are in for a tough summer. But peach growers will not be alone. Anyone trying to grow almost anything worth growing—apples, pears, grapes, berries, tomatoes, peppers, corn (sweet or field), soybean, hawthorn, butterfly bush, roses, redbud, dogwood, maple, basswood, catalpa, and elm (the list goes on)—is going to have a hard time of it. BMSB turns out to be a significant agricultural pest.

The brown marmorated stink bug, so called because of its marbled or streaked coloration, looks in size and form much like its North American cousins. As adults, their shield-shaped body is almost 0.7 inches long. They exhibit shades of brown or gray with mottling, and the antennae have alternating dark and light bands (for images see http://www.invasive.org/browse/subthumb.cfm?sub=9328).

Stink bugs are sucking insects that extract plant fluids by means of a proboscis that is inserted into fruit, stem, or leaf. They feed on sweet plant juice that is predigested by the enzymes they secrete that breakdown and kill plant tissue, which results in rotten or sunken areas where the feeding took place.

There are some 250 stink bug species that are native to North America, and three of them have traditionally been pests of peach and other fruit crops as well as some ornamental plants. But BMSB has an advantage over our native stink bugs: it is essentially invisible to North American stink bug predators. And because it has no natural enemies here and will feed on (apparently) almost any plant (60 species growing in North America have been indentified so far), its population is unchecked and it is expected to continue spreading to new habitats.

In homes, the best way to control BMSB is to keep it out in the first place. In older homes that are a little leaky, this may be next to impossible. But whatever ways there are to exclude it should be tried—sealing cracks around windows, doors, chimneys and siding; assuring that screens are intact; and removing window air conditioners as cool weather approaches are some examples. These stink bugs tend to congregate on south and west walls of structures in fall. Insecticides can be used around suspected entry points such as windows and doors. Scientists at Rutgers University have tested lots of insecticides against adult BMSB; they found that cyfluthrin, bifenthrin and deltamethrin were effective against BMSB in laboratory tests. Timing of insecticide application is important though. If used too early, the insecticide may breakdown; if applied too late, BMSB may already have invaded your house.

Once inside a house, BMSB should be removed by hand or by means of a vacuum. Use of insecticides inside a house is not recommended.  This is because BMSB that die within walls or in other unreachable places invite a new infestation of pest in the form of dermestid or carpet beetles that will come to feed on the BMSB carcasses.

In the home garden, cyfluthrin, bifenthrin and deltamethrin are insecticides that gardeners can use on ornamentals and some vegetables. Follow warning labels, however, and check with county agricultural agents for more information. If the garden space is not too big or the infestation not too severe, there’s always hand picking. And there is a pheromone trap that has just become available (http://www.agbio-inc.com/index.html). It is said to “work” and to have been developed “…in close association with leading universities and the USDA/ARS.” This may well be a great product. And it is certainly worth trying, but traps for Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica) work well in attracting the pest but seem to attract more beetles than they capture, leaving the rest to feed in your garden.  And killing BMSB by hand is a very unpleasant task:  you have to squeeze them firmly and quickly before they spray.  I know someone who got hit with the mildly acidic and horrid substance on the hand, wrist and forehead.  Yuck!

The most important natural enemy of BMSB in northern China has recently been identified as the small solitary wasp Trissolcus halyomorphae. This wasp parasitizes the eggs of BMSB, affecting up to 70% of them and killing as much as 50% of the potential annual BMSB population. The wasp is currently being studied as a possible biological control agent for BMSB but is not now found in North America. Before it can be released here into nature, it must first be demonstrated that the wasp itself is not an invasive pest. It likely is not, and in the future, management of BMSB populations in and around commercial orchards and other large-scale agricultural operations will almost certainly combine a biological control agent, such as this Chinese wasp, with pesticides and cultural practices.

BMSB is a pest so recently introduced and identified here that scientists are still scrambling to determine the extent of the problem and to evolve solutions. “Nuking it from orbit” will obviously not be among the solutions, and it is not going away. What solutions ultimately settle out will likely be costly, drawn out, and imperfect.

This entry was posted on Friday, April 15th, 2011 at 4:06 pm and is filed under Original Posts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
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20 Responses to ““Acid For Blood”: Guest Blog By Nick Rhodehamel”

  1. Judy S said:

    Around here, in Berks County PA, we have been dealing with huge populations of the stink bugs since just about the supposed time of introduction in Allentown. We were told they hitchhiked from China on some nursery stock. The homes most affected are homes with the east side in the full a.m. sun. They seem to be warming up in the morning. Like Japanese beetles, they will drown in soapy water. I am going to try using a cheap car wash sprayer that holds detergent to knock them off the wall, drop them into a plastic drop cloth, gather that and dump into a soapy wading pool. On a good day, almost an entire wall can be covered by them. Maybe someone else has a good idea?

    • Nick said:

      Dear Judy,
      Good suggestion. Thanks for the idea.

  2. Charlotte Freeman said:

    Thank you for this valuable information. We have been struggling with this ever-plentiful pest for at least 3 seasons here in Eastern Pa.

    • Nick said:

      Dear Charlotte,
      It’s a tough one. As you know, you are at the epicenter of this infestation. Good luck this summer.

  3. Firefrost Fread said:

    Thank You for sharing such marvelous written works! Mesmerized by the subject matter and enthralled by the expertise you exhibit. Please keep them coming! The Pomegranate you sent me was of vey low quality and poorly shipped. It is still alive but will surprise me grandly if it makes it.

    • Nick said:

      Dear Firefrost,
      Thanks for your kind words. During Burpee’s 135 years in business, it has endeavored to sell only the best seed and plants to its customers. If you are not satisfied with a plant sold to you by Burpee, please contact customer service by phone (800-333-5808) or mail (W. Atlee Burpee & Co., 300 Park Avenue, Warminster, PA 18974) and let them know about it.

  4. Michele Draper said:

    Thank you for the really informative article on the asian stink bug. I saw them last year and did not know what they were. your article was really an eye-opener.

    • Nick said:

      Dear Michele,
      I’m glad you found the article useful. Please see some of the other readers’ suggestions on how to deal with this pest.

  5. Susan Kelly said:

    While listening to “You Bet Your Garden” on 90.9 WHYY radio (Philadelphia) this morning (April 16), a gentleman caller whose website is trapbug.com, has discovered that an effective trap for these pests is a cardboard sheath. His website includes more information on this natural and chemical free method of capturing stinkbugs in the latter part of the season when they are seeking shelter from the changing seasons.

    • Nick said:

      Dear Susan,
      Thanks for the website and information, and thanks for reading.

  6. christine rumph said:

    Thank you for this thoroughly researched and concise report. The information is welcome and appreciated. I wish you and all fellow gardeners good luck this season!

    • Nick said:

      Dear Christine,
      Thanks for reading and for your kind words. Good luck to you too this summer.

  7. Olive said:

    I’ve just realized that I’ve seen these bugs around the outside of my home and I live upstate NY so I guess they’ve already made their way past the mid-Atlantic. Oh dear. Thank you for this information, now at least I know what they are.

    • Nick said:

      Dear Olive,
      Thanks for reading. Fore warned is fore armed, but please see some of the other readers’ comments and suggestions on how to deal with these creatures.

  8. Cathy W said:

    I’m so glad to see info on this bug. I’m in southern DE and I’ve been seeing them around for a few months now but didn’t know what they were. However, I see them everywhere now – even in my house. Luckily, I did put it outside. Thanks for the info (and warning):) cw

    • Nick said:

      Dear Cathy,
      Thanks for reading, and please see some of the other readers’ suggestions on how to deal with this pest.

  9. To kill the stink bug fill a small jar with about an inch or so of alcohol and just use the lid to scoot them in the jar. An old pickle or jelly jar works great. They will drop in fairly easily. Upon dropping in the alcohol the stink bug will die instantly and without the smell. I keep a jar handy and have captured hundreds of stink bugs. After the jar has quite a few stink bugs in it…just put the lid on it and throw it in the trash. I use this method inside the house. If you have children make sure the bottle is not within their reach.

    • Nick said:

      Dear Ann,
      Thanks for the idea. Soapy water does about the same thing. The outside of insects (exoskeleton) repels water. A little soap (or alcohol) breaks the surface tension of the water and allow the liquid to enter the insect through its breathing pores and drown it.

  10. Becca said:

    while looking up a separate issue, I saw this posting. we live in CNY and our free ranging chickens happily snack on any stink bugs they come upon. there may not be many natural preditors however I can almost guarentee that the wild turkeys and pastured chickens will delight in these pests,

    • Nick said:

      Thanks for taking the time to write in, Becca. I’m not surprised to hear this; I know that chickens (and probably wild turkeys) eat Japanese beetles, so why not marmorated stink bugs? Do your chickens have any effect on the stink bug populations? My understanding is that this year with the early spring and hot, dry summer, marmorated stink bugs will go through more than one generation, and next spring we will then start off with higher populations of the bug. Your chickens should be well fed next summer.

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