Raising a Stink About Stink Bugs!

In the states of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and New York, stink bugs have been in the news. People share stories of how the little brown beetles are on their windowsills, in their cars, and on the floor. Farmers are worried that stink bugs will damage their crops.  What are these strange bugs? And why are they causing so many problems right now?

Stink Bugs: What they are
There are really many different kinds of stink bugs. Some stink bugs have always lived in North America. But the one that people are really worried about is the brown marmorated stink bug.

The brown marmorated stink bug, or BMSB, has not always lived in the United States. In fact, they came here from Asia just over 10 years ago. Like many exotic plants and animals, stink bugs were brought to this country accidentally. No one really knows for sure, but scientists guess that the bugs hitched a ride in a packing container from a freight ship.

Stink bugs have a special shape that looks like a shield. They have a sharp mouth part that makes a hole in a fruit or stem. Then, they can suck out the juices. Unlike some other bugs, like monarch caterpillars, stink bugs aren't fussy. They'll eat a wide variety of plants.

Why are they called stink bugs? These insects have a gland that produces a strong odor. Some people have compared the smell to cilantro, an herb, or a bad-smelling pine tree. Everyone agrees that it smells bad! The bad smell makes them less attractive to predators.

Not that there are many creatures lining up to eat stink bugs, that is! In this country, there aren't really any natural predators for stink bugs. Some people report that praying mantises will eat them, but even this great predator can't handle such a large buffet of tasty food. 

The Invasion!
Although brown marmorated stink bugs have been in this country for about 10 years, they are attracting new headlines this year. Why? A warm spring and summer may be to blame.

In most years, brown marmorated stink bugs can only have one generation of eggs in a summer. Because this summer was so warm, however, there have been two or three generations. This means more stink bugs! As the weather starts to get cooler, the stink bugs will try to find warm places for the winter.

And, of course, what's warmer than a nice and cozy house? People are reporting that stink bugs are on windowsills, on porches, climbing up screens, and any other place they can find. And they're tough to manage. When stink bugs are stepped on, they release the bad smell. But most people don't want to use toxic pesticides to kill them. Many are using vacuum cleaners to suck up the annoying bugs.

Studying Stink Bugs
Entomologists, scientists who study bugs, are working on ways to solve the stink bug problem. While people find them annoying, they don't really cause any damage to houses, and don't harm people. But farmers are worried. Stink bugs will leave ugly marks on fruit like apples, which makes the fruit hard to sell. They cause damage to corn and soybeans as well.

While no solutions have been found yet, one thing is sure: Stink bugs aren't going to go away any time soon!

As I was writing this article, I was looking for a stink bug so that I could get a quick picture. Well, I went outside, and this one fell on my head! Uh-oh...it looks like I'll be seeing many, many more of these bugs in the next few weeks.