Most of you don’t realize it, but Cold Climate Gardening is host to a secret club, the Stink Bug Haters Club. It all started innocently enough with this post. But as more and more stink bug sufferers found the post and took advantage of the Subscribe to Comments feature, it started to take on a life of its own, with the various visitors sharing disgust and stink bug capture and killing tips. I haven’t had much trouble with these bugs myself, but I’ve always wanted to provide the people who’ve been commenting with more information. I finally tracked down some experts, Amanda Koppel and Dr. Kim Hoelmer, to write a guest post.
The changing of the seasons: spring brings with it new growth, summer brings the hot sun and swimming, fall is the harvest and a touch of cold, and winter… snow! But when the temperature starts to drop, you might find another visitor besides Santa Claus in your house.
Where Did They Come From?
The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (hereafter abbreviated BMSB), is an invasive species of stink bug native to China, Korea and Japan. It’s thought that BMSB first came to the United States in shipping containers arriving from Asia. The bugs were first identified in Allentown, PA in 2001, although they probably arrived here several years earlier.
Where Are They Going?
Since becoming established in Pennsylvania, the bug has spread throughout the Mid-Atlantic states as far south as Virginia. It’s also been spotted in several southern and midwestern states, and has become established on the west coast in Oregon. It’s still on the move! Since they are strong fliers, BMSBs may fly to a new habitat, but many hitch a ride in shipping containers or on cars.
How Stink Bugs Bug People
In autumn, the adult stink bugs aggregate on and inside houses, sheds and other structures looking for a warm place to spend the winter. Many people find this to be a nuisance because the BMSB gives off a characteristic odor when they’re crushed or disturbed. However, this bug might pose a threat to your plants, too. BMSB has been reported on 73 different plant species in Pennsylvania alone, including butterfly bush, lilac, buckthorn, tomato, and grapes. Feeding on most ornamentals is probably innocuous, but various kinds of fruit crops can also be damaged by BMSB feeding.
What Can You Do?
So how can you protect your homes and gardens? Caulking or physically sealing cracks around doors, windows and attic vents are the most effective methods that help to prevent them from entering, and eliminating weeds around your house will decrease temporary harborages. BMSB is a small insect, so it’s important to be diligent about sealing every opening or they still might find ways to squeeze in. You can also hire a professional pesticide applicator to spray insecticides around the outside of your home during the fall months when the stink bugs are looking for places to spend the winter.
Currently, there are no federal quarantines in place to prevent the spread of BMSB. Since the BMSB hasn’t become a major agricultural pest yet (although it’s believed that it could, based on its known host plant range), there are no established control methods for eliminating them from your garden. Picking them off your plants or catching them on sticky cards are two possible ideas. Pheromone traps for this insect are under development but are not yet available commercially. Most stink bugs are attacked by a variety of natural enemies, especially insect predators and parasitoids. Research has shown that native North American beneficial insects don’t show much interest in BMSB, however, and there are no commercially available beneficial insects that effectively attack BMSB. USDA entomologists are studying the feasibility of introducing effective BMSB natural enemies from Asia that are safe and specific to the stink bug and which would offer some long-term relief.
I know a lot of the commenters have already tried sealing up their homes to little effect. Many are desperate enough to try any kind of poison to get rid of these pests. So, on behalf of stink bug victims everywhere, I decided to ask a few more questions:
Do you know much about the pesticides that a “professional pesticide applicator” would use? Could you elaborate on why it should not be a DIY job to spray these chemicals?
AK: A pesticide applicator would likely spray an insecticide from the pyrethroid class. Examples of pyrethroids include deltamethrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, and cyfluthrin.
This is not a do-it-yourself job! There are laws associated with pesticide application. For example, it is illegal to apply pesticides contrary to what the instructions on the label say. Further, it’s illegal if you allow your pesticide to drift onto things for which it’s not intended.
Even more important, pyrethroids are neurotoxins, and improper spraying can be very hazardous to your health. For example, if your skin comes into contact with deltamethrin, it can lead to redness, and facial paraesthesia can result if it comes into contact with your mouth or eyes. It’s best to let a trained professional handle these chemicals.
The website from which the commenters are buying pesticides provides this article on the stink bugs. Would you say it is accurate?
AK: I’d say it’s exaggerating a few facts. This bold statement from the site, Don’t be misled into thinking any stink bug is a good bug bothers me, because the spined soldier bug (Podisus maculiventrus) is a good guy! The spined soldier bug is NOT destructive and, in fact, eats a number of pest caterpillars in gardens and commercial crops.
Also, Try not to handle them and be careful if you do – not only will they release that nasty smell but many species are able to inflict a nasty bite! was a bit funny, since I’ve been working with stink bugs for 4 years and have never been bitten. Stink bugs don’t even have mandibles; they use a long “beak” (a tube) to pierce through the skin of fruits, veggies, and crop plants and suck out their food.
And, Stink bugs leave strong odors which linger for 6 months or more, makes little sense to me. I’ve had hundreds of collected stink bugs from wheat in a Ford Explorer, and their stink is gone from the car in 2-3 days.
It’s important to remember that one purpose of that webpage is to sell a product.
KH: Also, the website mistakenly implies that most of the stink bug species are capable of acting as pests in gardens/orchards. This is not the case at all. Only a handful of stink bug species are ever pests. Most species are completely innocuous as far as human interests are concerned. One additional error of fact in the ‘bugspray’ site – BMSB will NEVER EVER reproduce inside a home or structure. This occurs only on the host trees or shrubs, and only during the summer months. Bugs in the house during fall and winter are just hanging out, waiting for spring and the opportunity to return to the outdoors. You will only see adult BMSB entering your home, never the immature stages.
What do you know about cypermethrin, baygon, and deltamethrin, the three pesticides recommended by the aforementioned site?
AK: I mentioned deltamethrin above. Cypermethrin is used in household products to control ants and cockroaches. Baygon is another name for a number of pyrethroids used together.
Do light traps actually do much?
AK: Light traps aren’t a terrible idea, but I’m not sure how effective they would be. On the farm, we have a blacklight trap which we use to monitor for stink bugs. Based on the number of stink bugs caught, we estimate how many bugs might be in nearby fields. However, this is NOT for BMSB, and it doesn’t control large populations at all.
KH: When light traps (or their lethal cousins the bug zappers) are used indoors or in enclosed patios, they can be very effective at eliminating the insects in the immediate area. However, when they are outdoors and open to being seen from a distance, it’s important to remember that THEY ARE VERY ATTRACTIVE and even though they may trap or kill large numbers, they are attracting a larger number of stink bugs from further away to your home or yard than would have arrived without the traps being there!
For More Information
From Penn State University: Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Entomological Notes (pdf)
From Ohio State University: Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Fact Sheet (pdf)
From Rutgers University, New Jersey: Brown Marmorated Stinkbug – A Non-native Insect in New Jersey (pdf)
From The University of Florida: Featured Creatures: Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
NEW! Stop Stink Bugs – a site devoted to the cause.
Amanda L. Koppel, Dept. of Entomology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
Dr. Kim Hoelmer, USDA-ARS Beneficial Insect Introductory Research Lab, Newark, DE
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Wow. I didn’t know these were so much of a problem! I live in Houston and we have stink bugs, but I’m not sure of the species. They don’t particularly resemble the picture in the article, but they definitely stink when they are squished. (What a poor defense mechanism… the only defense you have is the hope your attacker has smooshed one of your relatives and so they will spare your life as to avoid your own death stank.) Here they just fly in and at you and ride on your car windows.
-Sylvia
i am so glad to find this site. i have been fighting the SBs since 2008 when i moved into the attic here at my parents home in Eastern PA. I had been living in Texas until then and was not familiar with these pests. i HATE them. just wanted to share the at i recently BROKE my FINGER trying to kill one. I guess I hit too hard
. I am pleased to find others who share my passion for their extermination and to try some of these methods. (though I feel there is no way to seal up my parent’s 45 year old attic)
We have been dealing with these things for 4 years now and the problem seems to be getting worse…Last summer/fall we could not open the windows, they were somehow getting in on the side of the screens…we had to to out of the doors with lightning speed, if not at least 5 would get in the house…it was horrible…I have only seen one this winter, but I know I only have a little reprieve before they are back with a vengence…Now I know there are a lot of people who do not like to use pesticides, but my cousin lives in the eastern part of the state, where there seems to be a total infestation, after much searching on the internet, she found a product called Bengal Roach spray…see said it works wonders, and I have been doing research myself on this product, and I’ve only found one review were the person stated she used it on stink bugs and it kills them almost overnight…So I ordered 4 cans (preparing for the invasion now) and I will give a review once I start seeing these creatures from hell again.
I was bitten in my sleep on my jaw bone and behind my ear my left elbow and 3 times to the back of my legs.That is how Knew I they could hurt you It swelled and scabbed and all of them itched and had a warm sensation through it. When i pulled off my blankets I expected a spider not a couple stink bugs EWWWWW My doctor didnt know what to do I thought i was allergic to them.Benadryl was what they gave me it did nothing it itched for days. I had also went to bed that night with a heating pad on my neck I think that attracted them. They are nasty they smell and they think we are part of their food chain . The Diatom Dust worked for us its also long term protection from all insects.{Diatomaceous Earth – all natural insecticide. By removing their outer waxy covering, Diatom Dust kills insects mechanically, causing dehydration. Insects cannot become immune to this long lasting, odorless, non-staining powder.I hope that they will do more research on these insects because they are multiplying quickly and they are harmful.
Barbara
Having read some of these comments and the article above, I too have to take issue with the so-called expert saying that stink bugs are incapable of stinging a human by piercing the skin. Consider the skin of a tomato, which we know they prefer and the skin of which they are capable of piercing, and yet they cannot puncture human flesh which is much less tough than tomato skin? Tomatoes are plant and have cell walls. Our cells do not have cell walls; merely a cell membrane. Anyway, just four nights ago, prior to any such knowledge that a BMSB could inflict a wound, I was awoken by an extreme burning sensation where a stink bug was against my skin near my arm pit, its underside against me, my skin pinning it to the bed as it, trapped, emitted its odor and apparently pierced my skin, I presume, with its beak. The smelly excretion probably got into the puncture, severely burning me. For that matter, it may have been trying to eat since I have no fresh raw fruits or veggies laying out for them to eat and they are living creatures which must get food from somewhere. Now, I have handled these stink bugs plenty, having the impression that they are harmless and incapable of stinging, and have squashed them in my bare hands, getting their stink all over my fingers, yet have never before been burned in the least bit by the stinky secretion/enzyme, so I know firsthand that this was not an allergic (unpunctured) skin reaction to their excretion. But see, this is firsthand knowledge and experience, and I mean to tell the so-called experts that if you think the BMSB are completely harmless, you are wrong and should test/prove this and revise your presumptions that you might otherwise consider expert ‘knowledge’. People have been expressing this information about BMSB stings (although they mistakenly use the term ‘bite’, let’s not get wrapped around an axle on semantics) more than just once; please stop rejecting laymen info just because its not coming from a book or article written by a PHD in entomology. It’s condescending. Please go and test this information on your OWN skin, if you say it’s not possible; trap a unfed BMSB against your tender skin (like near the armpit) with its underside against there, and press and hold it there for a while. See if it does not inflict a sting to your skin. I challenge you to prove your unfounded assertions that BMSB do not have the capability to sting/puncture skin. Also, may I just specifically ask where you live (state, area) and DO you have HOME invasion firsthand experience with *specifically* the BMSB? I love how experts feel they know absolutes based on book and article/college-study and even field knowledge and reject actual accounts from those with firsthand everyday experience. Once, experts said that the bumble bee should be incapable of flight, and that the F4 phantom aircraft has the aerodynamics of a brick and should not be able to fly. But it does. Please expand your understanding by not rejecting information merely because it comes from common folk. At least test it before rejecting it. Any expert that rejects something without proving it is no expert, in my book, they are just presumptuous and nonscientific, albeit well-read on the articles (those that exist, however sparse). Thanks for your time. Oh, and FYI I still have the mark on my armpit from 4 days ago. It is healing like a biological/chemical warfare agent burn would heal. I was trained on such things while serving in the armed forces in Korea in the 90’s.
Re BMSB stings: I’ve just been doing an Internet search on this after having had it happen to me. I had found one in the house and took it outside to fend for itself on the frozen snow (central VA, 30 degrees right now). When I saw it was freezing up I repented and brought it back indoors. Realizing I’d never really watched one close up, I put it on my palm and waited as it started moving around. After half a minute or so I felt a sharp stinging sensation in the center of my palm, about the intensity of a bite from a small ant or Asiatic ladybug. At this point the bug had moved so that its rear was over the site, but if the BMSB has no posterior stinger it must have poked me with its beak and moved on, and the pain was delayed by a few seconds. Very mild pain persisted for a minute or so.
So yes, we probably need some empirical testing to see just what kind of bite/sting a BSMB can inflict, but it won’t be me volunteering.
I bought a vacuum bug zapper this fall from Amazon.com, $49.00 The kids go around the house sucking up the stink bugs that have come inside. Normally they were always calling me to get them, now they are having fun zapping them all. It kills instantly and just turn over and empty. You can’t keep them out, but now we don’t have to touch them.
Hello John,
Did you know there is another area to this discussion forum at:
http://www.coldclimategardening.com/2007/03/11/the-brown-marmorated-stink-bug/ I’m not sure how the forum got split up but you make want to check out the other area. After much discussion, trial and error, many of us at that site area have found that you CAN keep the stinkies out. If you prefer not to do preventative spraying (that we have found does kill them) you can at least keep them out by: caulking around exterior baseboards, windows (top, sides and bottom) and doors. Sheri told us about fingertip rope caulk that can be found at Lowes. I have used a squeeze tube caulk product (clear acrylic) by liquid nails. Some of us have also hired professional caulkers for inside and outside work. It is also helpful to keep the chimney flue closed when you are not using woodstove/fireplace. Some place screening over chimney during the swarm season but this must be removed before you use the fireplace as it could cause a chimney fire. Be sure to check your attic and zap, vacuum , fog or spread Delta dust there. Some find thousands in the attic.
Repair window and door screens. Place screening over a/c return air vents, bathroom and kitchen ceiling exhaust vents, etc. Check and repair window and door screens. Caulk or recaulk around dryer vents, chimneys, where electric and cable enter the home and if you have a porch or garage, the area where they meet the house. Remove window a/c units from the window in early September. I noticed them crawling in and out of a ceiling light in the bedroom. Check the screens on the cable ends of your home. Screen attic fans and ridge vents. If you have a pull down or in the closet attic access point, pay special attention to this area. Using some sort of tape can be a quick fix until you can caulk. A 50/50 mixture of Dawn dishwashing liquid and water will kill them and it is said they will jump into (and drown) a container of this mixture. If you fill a sealable coffee can with the mix you can catch quite a number before disposing of them. They will swarm in the warm days (following a number of cool days) in the fall. You can’t stop that from happening. But if you caulk, screen and tape you can keep them out of your house. Quite a few of us at the other area on this site have had success. Best of luck with the war (or at least many battles) that can be won.
The “fuss” for me is that they are not few and far between. I’ve found them in my bed, my clothes and even flying into my food. I feel no sympathy for them and I wish them out of existance. They multiply unbelievably every year and have no natural enemies here, if anywhere. Try killing one and you will find out what the stink is all about. If they need to weather the cold, let them do it somewhere else. Since you are so fond of them, I give them to you with my blessings.
Hello FSBK – I just wanted to make you aware that there is another area on ‘Cold Climate Gardening’ where stink bugs are being discussed – the link is:http://www.coldclimategardening.com/2007/03/11/the-brown-marmorated-stink-bug/
You are welcome to join the discussion there (with many other stink bugs haters).
Best -
Oh what’s all the fuss! We had them last winter and we have them again this fall. Big deal. They crawl around the sunny windows inside the house and when the sun sets they all but disappear, hiding under the curtins or on the floor. They don’t bite, they leave the house plants alone, and I have yet to smell their “stink.” Lady bugs do the same thing, don’t they? Live and let live. They are not long-lived and before you know it they’re gone. Would you want someone to spray you just because you were trying not to freeze to death?
ive found a few of them in my house. i always catch and release insects, that is if my roommate (domestic short haired cat) doesnt get them. ive found a few of them before and released them. then i found a stinkbug this winter. female. i was reluctant to put her outside figuring she’d die. after 45 min online, i finally identified her. now after searching for what food to give her while im waiting for spring to arrive, i find all these discussion threads. most people seem to hate them. i revere flora and fauna big and small. there are many aspects to this. e.g. ive never had to worry about being attacked by a tiger, or that my livestock was being killed by wolves, etc. however, i know that 1) homosapiens are most destructive species on planet 2) we create many (all?) of the problems we have e.g. we brought the stinkbug here 3) all life is valuable and ultimately we depend on the ecosystem for our life and the ecosystem is a closed system where everything affects everything else. i dont kill the stinkbugs so ive never smelled them, but i also dont have an “infestation” of them. i guess i’ll have a third roommate until the spring. she’s already been eating the pear slice i gave her. cheers.
Well it has been three years since I began the Stink Bug Battle. I first posted in 2007. If any one has read all the old posts you know we had THOUSANDS of them. We started spraying with a product we purchased from http://www.bugspray.com and have had great success. We sprayed in the spring to kill any that did get in under the siding or shingles. We figured we would get them when they came out. We have seen them swarming this fall but nothing like the past. Funny thing we are finding them dead on the deck and in the gutters. Could it be possible the spray is still working. We mixed up another two gallons a few days ago to spray the whole house again and found at least 100 dead on the deck and in gutters. I guess we will continue to spray every year until the cycle is broken. One bug can leave the small in order to return and bring more. I read they mark their winter retreats (by stinking up the area) so they can return the following year. We purchased a power and a spritz sprayer to put in the attic. We don’t really have a problem there but have seen a couple so we can’t take any chances. We puff the power way up under the eaves.
“The only good stink bug is a DEAD stink BUG”
Has any one had problem with them staining your porch when they die. They leave like a oil slick and we will have to re stain the deck as it really looks BAD>
Hmmm, wonder if the stickbugs are thinking, “the only good human is a DEAD human??
I’m back as are the BMSBs. I had the house professionally sprayed, and still they are back. I’ve had 2 in the house that I’ve found already. They don’t look like they are compromised by the pesticide either. They are flying around and not falling over that I can see. My enclosed deck is already swamped with them. I left a message for the exterminator, but as it’s the weekend, I probably won’t hear from him until Monday and I have comapny coming tomorrow.
At this point, I just want to sell and move. Between the taxes in this state and the bugs, I’ve had it. My only fear is that they will keep moving until they are all over the country. I read in one of the posts that they are looking to bring in natural predators to control them. I thought that they don’t have any, but I guess I was wrong. I hope that the predators they bring in are not going to leave us with something worse. It’s been known to happen. What a nightmare.
I took my hand pump sprayer yesterday and filled it with 60% Dawn dish detergent and water, (I will add I live in Central PA) anway it was warm yesterday and they were horrible, we were being invaded! So I kep spraying them with my solution and they kept dying!!! It was great!! So this am I got up and used the hose to wash down my house and now my house is very nice and shiny on the outside:) We have been fighting them for two years, this works better than any of the insecticides my husband has been trying! So go buy some Dawn liquid, mix with water and start spraying them and best of all Killing them!!!
I hate this things too. I mashed one once and decided there has to be a better way. I found it! Nail polish remover works within seconds but you have to realize that I was willing to damage my hardwood floor. I recognized that I never saw any in rooms that had the sonic pest repellers, so I bought more and put them all over the house. Now I only find DEAD bugs. YEAHHHHHHHHHHHH
AK & KH, the so-called “experts” in the interview above, are absolutely wrong about several things, & their MISinformation is doing harm to desperate people scouring the internet for help in fending off BMSB stink bugs. FIRST: While they claim stink bugs are not dangerous, we here in West Virginia who have been literally inundated by them know this simply is not true. Several people in my area have — in just this last month — had the physically damaging experience of a stink bug flying directly into their unguarded & unsuspecting open eyes, & in each case the result has been a large & terrible sore — much like a gaping scorch mark — on the white of the eye. In each case the person (& this has now happened to both adults & children here) has been rushed to the ER, of course, only to discover the doctors are basically at a loss about how to treat this bizarre & extremely painful wound. Another woman in our town recently rolled over in her sleep 1 morning and the weight of her neck came to rest upon a stink bug sharing the pillow with her. The pressure of her neck upon the stink bug caused the bug to create the same type of sore as those who’ve had them fly directly into the eye: a scorch-like sore on & in her flesh, open & “hugely painful” as she told us when we saw her afterwards. SECOND: I’m also personally offended by the pedantic comments against the commercial website which publishes online information about how to behave around, & spray for, stink bugs. These gentlemen are in another state quite far from us & we never would have even contacted them were it not for the horrendous state of affairs in WV now, but they are NOT simply in this for the money. To wit: the sprays they sell can be purchased locally, right here, in our own mom-&-pop hardware stores: yet even knowing this, & thus knowing they are not going to make 1 single penny from any of us who call them for help, the online gentlemen have been more than willing to spend over an hour on the phone with me (& have done the same for many others I know), kindly & intelligently providing excellent advice — every bit of which has proven ACCURATE, as well as highly useful in fighting off these invasive stink bugs. One could cynically reply “Well, that’s just good business sense”, but anyone who talks to these very kind men discovers they have bigger minds & hearts than the narrow & smug brand of thinking that leads to such uncalled-for & false observations. “AK” says that it’s “funny” this website warns about stink bugs biting people simply because AK has not been bitten in “4 years of handling” the bugs — but try saying it’s funny to the innocent adults & children here who have had their eyes & their flesh damaged by these terrible bugs! Shame on you, AK: stink bugs are NOT simply a smelly-but-otherwise-innocent bug: they are proving to be an outright menace. We are obviously not talking about your little pal the Soldier Bug, AK, but the extremely nasty BMSB & Co. The very misleading interview above should be both preceded AND followed by caveats in large boldface, because as it stands now, all that interview does is encourage a false sense of security in people about something that is actually already proving here in West Virginia to be nothing less than dangerous.
Hi there, Haley.
Thanks for your comment.
In response to your “FIRST”: All of the facts reported in the blog article are backed up by published literature, and are accurate to-date. I would be happy to send you the government reports and journal articles, if you’d like. Further, this is the first I’ve heard of or read about such terrible injuries caused by stink bugs flying into people. I urge you to suggest that these cases are reported to the local USDA field office or entomology department so they can be documented.
In response to your “SECOND”: I was specifically asked to comment about the website, and so, I picked out the inaccurate statements and corrected them. Specifically.
For example, stink bugs don’t bite people. They don’t have mandibles, and their beaks aren’t capable of piercing human flesh.
I only talked about the inaccurate parts, as requested.
Again, I’d be glad to send you more information.
~Amanda K.
Hello again Dr. Koppel,
I copied the following excerpt that I found off the internet from en entomological journal abstract…Is this something that we can look forward to introducing here in the future to control these critters?..Anything that gives those tormented by these things a ray of hope is a good thing…Your input is greatly appreciated.
JT
“A new species of Trissolcus Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae), Trissolcus halyomorphae Yang, sp. nov., is described from China. It is a solitary parasitoid in eggs of Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), an economic pest that causes severe damage to pear, apple and other fruit and that also feeds on the leaves and stems of ornamental and forest trees. The new species is the principal natural enemy of the stink bug, with parasitism rates up to 70% and an average annual rate of 50%. Because of its high parasitism rates and other biological features, it has good potential as a biocontrol agent of the pest. Type specimens are deposited in Insect Museum, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China.”
Ah! They refined the scientific name of the parasitoid I found in China in summer ‘07, and apparently, found it more places than Beijing. Good stuff. This paper is a taxonomic one fully describing this Trissolcus species.
The upside is, T. halyomorphae has been studied in USDA quarantine since I sent it back, earlier than the publication of this article.
The downside is, like all biological control candidates, research takes a very long time because the #1 concern is the parasitoid’s host range. We want to make sure that it *only* parasitizes pest species of stink bugs, and won’t move on to other insects when pest populations are low. Other things, like how it will survive in US climes, need to be determined.
(And, of course, most of this research is limited by how much government grant money can be wrangled up.)
Can we introduce it here?
Short answer: Yes, but not without extensive research and a long permit process.
~Amanda
Hello and Happy New Year Dr. Koppel,
I honestly do not think it can get any worse if those parasitoids are released here. If you keep reading these posts and others on the internet, this is becoming a really big problem. Since they seem to be here to stay, these bugs need to become part of the ecosystem that controls them to bring their numbers to a more reasonable level. Having owned and operated a pest control business, I have seen pests on the rise and then fall in populations. I hope this will eventually happen to the BMSB. But looking at thier biology, it seems they can stand even the most extreme cold weather and by their very habits they are a nightmare to homeowners and farmers.
On a brighter note, it seems that the power spraying I do on my house with a microencapsulated insecticide and the in attic dusting of cyfluthrin, seems to be having a desired effect. For now I have not seen any in my house this season. Of course I have caulked and taped a lot too, so this combination seems to have worked for me. I feel terrible for my neighbors and friends that have not followed my advice because they are being tormented with these buggers this winter. Thank you for your information and please keep us all posted as to when or if we can expect some sort of promising news concerning this unsettling pest.
JT
Hello Haley,
I have to say that I have corresponded a few times with AK and KH and they have been very helpful with the answers to my questions.
In all probability, she also may possess the bio controls that will finally get these things under control…And since she studies these things I believe that she knows quite a lot about thier biology.
JT from Central Jersey
Happy New Year, JT. I’m replying to your recent comment, above, here since the “reply” link is mysteriously missing above.
Whether a non-native insect is released into the environment is, ultimately, a government decision on many levels. USDA-APHIS has to issue a letter of no jurisdiction in response to a research report conclusively stating that the insect won’t disrupt the current environmental conditions in a negative manner, with respect to consuming prey outside of its intended host range (of course, even that can go awry… think of the Asiatic lady beetle… what a pain). Usually, state governments and the US Fish and Wildlife Service will be contacted too. It’s a process.
The only big update I know of (and this is a little insider-stuff) is that a stink bug compound from a different species of stink bug has been found to be an attractant for the BMSB. This isn’t my project, but I spoke to the entomologist in charge at the yearly meeting, and he said they’re trying to obtain a pure chemical form for tests as a lure. A bidding process from chemical companies just wrapped up, and they have the grant money to get a small amount manufactured.
~Amanda
(Defending in March!)
Hello Again Dr. Koppel,
I guess my follow ups for this are twofold;
1. Is there a possible time frame when this research can be done with a possible release?…I honestly feel this will determine my moving to an area where they have not migrated to yet and wait for a method of control.
2. Would a trap or lure act in an undesirable manner like the Japanese beetle traps and attract more of them to a particular area that is trying to limit their congregation?
Thanks
JT
1) I’ve never gone through the ‘no jurisdiction’ process, but the APHIS website says the average is 80 days. I suspect it varies with what kind of organism you wish to import. Host range testing is usually done in the warmer months, when all of the insects of interest are easy to find. The stink bug might be visible year round, but the parasitoid is overwintering under leaf litter.
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/permits/organism/index.shtml
2. Certainly a good lure would attract BMSBs (or in the case of current research, it might also attract the pest SB its chemistry is based on). I don’t know if it would get out of hand if placed in an area humans want to be in.
~Amanda
Hi Haley,
Did you know that there is another area on ‘Cold Climate Gardening’ where stink bugs are being discussed? The link is: http://www.coldclimategardening.com/2007/03/11/the-brown-marmorated-stink-bug/
We welcome you to join the discussion there.
Best – JC
I have had stink bugs for the past four years…I have found that vicks vaporub applied around doors and other openings, keeps the bugs away…camphor oil, tea tree oil mixtured with water and sprayed also works to keep the bugs at bay…they hate the smell. We also found that they liked to come down the chimney, so we put meshing around the chimney for the month that the bugs are trying to find a winter home. We have had no bugs in the house since…also you must keep your windows closed for that period of time because they can get through some screens….so far so good
Hello Sally,
I agree with you about the screening and caulking of the chimney…these bugs like heat and they will go down the chimney because it happened to me.
I have since moved and it seems that they have followed me…But on the worst days I have never seen more than 10 to 15 around the outside of the house…particularly around the flue of my masonry chimney…I urge those on this site to use professional chemicals like Demand CS around the outside of the house…Although you cant stop them from flying on the house those that come into contact with it will die.
JT
ok i called some professionals,either they are busy or want lots of money to due multiple treatments. so i decided to look for a pesticide recommended on rutgers web site. “Ortho Home Defense Max” has a great spray distance & dropped them like flies. i sprayed in all their nook & crannys within minutes they were falling out belly up DEAD! if your gonna do it yourself i highly recommend the ortho product above.
ok. i just went into the attic.. i banged on a pipe & about 20 stinks flew right at me, & it was like they were laughing at the lysol.. sorry but i don’t know if lysol will work. i will keep trying all i have. seems i have a complete infestation in the attic. time to call a professional.
WooHoo, they have arrived to our city that is inbetween Baltimore and Washington, D.C. According to the Maryland Agricultural Center at the University, they recommended to power wash them on a daily basis to knock them off. They did not recommend any insecticide as that is not their policy. The woman on the phone, also mentioned that pesticides were of no use, as they will just return/hatch eggs next year. So much for that advice, My exterminator is to arrive tomorrow with a mixture that he mentioned was a cash cow for them this year and the coming years that they will be there. My arms are exhausted from batting them to the floor with a broom to better grab with a paper towel and flush or spray in the front yard, for some reason they are not there in such numbers as the eastern side. This home is 40 years old in Columbia which was the planned community from Rouse, and the exterior is asbestos shingles (which is another topic all together), so they are just hiding their selves under the tiles overlapping.
Anyway, tonight I will dream of the exterminator coming to this damsel in distress.
i am a stink bug hater. the smell will stay with me forever. just the sight of them makes me mad. here is a little trick i recently learned. as many of you,i recently had a bunch of stinks on my window screens. get a can of lysol open the window & spray them through the screen. works better then any pesticide i have tried yet(i have tried them all) kills them instantly belly up!!!
You’re welcome Nikki – I’m hoping that the old saying ‘the squeaky wheel gets greased’ is true and that if enough of us complain about the BMSB that something will be done, SOON! I agree that it has been so very helpful to be able to come to this website and share our concerns and all suggestions and ideas on how to control these miserable bugs. I really appreciate all of the ideas I have gotten as a result of finding this website.
Here is the link to Rutgers that details what you can use to control the stink bug: http://njaes.rutgers.edu/stinkbug/control.asp They also ask that you contact them in the fall to confirm congregations of SBs on your home. I checked my can of Bengal Roach spray and the main ingredient is Permethrin. I got the ‘Gold’ formula because I understood that it had a longer lasting effect. Since spraying the door sill of my home, I have found several DEAD critters who were thinking about visiting me inside, but because I had sprayed with the Bengal Gold, they did not make it! Also, PLEASE read the directions for use on any product you may try. My hardware store didn’t carry the products so I ordered a case directly from the website. While I think this product is useful to keep the rotten bugs from coming inside, I can’t help but think it is better to eliminate as many as we can while they are feeding outside (and reproducing). It’s too easy to forget about them when they aren’t bothering us as much. For this approach please check the Rutgers website. They list the names of sprays that work and suggestions for caulking etc. Also, it can’t hurt to drop them a line and let they know they BMSB is more than an annoyance. I also contacted my local ag extension service and expressed concern that they would increase exponentially until they could not be controlled. They informed me that a researcher concluded that they would reproduce exponentially to a degree (for x number of years) and then their numbers would drop back. Let’s hope that x number isn’t 20 or more! My ag service rep said he was getting more than 500 calls a week inquiring about the BMSB! I can’t remember if I mentioned that he also told me they are very attracted to any pitted fruit trees (cherry, peach, etc). Also, citrus, and our garden plants – tomatoes, peppers, etc. Best of luck to each of us -
Thanks JC for that info. Your post just motivated me to make some phone calls and write a few e-mails.
I agree about getting at the root of the problem which is when these bugs are outdoors. Every article you read about this infestation says exclusion from your home is the best answer. That’s not good enough. It doesn’t solve the problem (as we all know). Each year, these bugs have increased in numbers. And, after 4 years of these bugs (not to mention all the money and time spent), I thought by now I would read/hear of some method or something…anything from the experts. Fortunately, I’ve been able to rely on these message boards which have helped me soooooo much!!! Thank you, Kathy, for making these boards available to all of us. It is greatly appreciated!
You’re welcome, Nikki, even though it’s not a message board–it’s two comment threads that people can subscribe by email to. I’m glad it helps you guys feel not so alone with your stinkbug battles.
I wonder if anyone else has tried to figure out what could have been in the shipping containers which are thought to have carried the SBs to allentown. well i did think about it and asked myself why would these bugs want to hang out in a shipping container, there must have been something inside which gave them the desire to enter and stay for the journey. So then i asked the people i know in and around allentown what it could have been, long story shortened i think i have an answer. In the mid to late 90’s a farm outside of allentown was one of the first to import for cultivation what is commonly known as Asian Pear Trees (most of which actually come from korea)(they are delicious if you have not tried them). These trees were shipped live not from seed to allentown which would have given them a host to make the journey as well once planted a known and preferred (to the bmsb that is) food source and breeding ground. From there the bmsb found new, similar as well as other imported plants (they love jap maples) on which to feed and breed/lay eggs. And then they spread more and more all the while adapting to their new surroundings. and Here we are today, over a decade later. There is nothing we can do to stop them, a billion traps and a trillion gallons of pesticide won’t do it. in addition to being impractical no matter what there are always going to be the few (relatively) that keep the population going. so beyond preventing them from entering our homes there is nothing we can really do. they are really here to stay (assuming Mother Nature doesn’t find a way to do away with them).
THE SEPTEMBER 24TH, 2009 INSERT FROM COLUMBIA…ALMOST A NEW YEAR IN A DAY OR SO….EVEN THE EXTERMINATION WAS ONLY A BANDAID, THE WOUND IS STILL BLEEDING, AND IT IS 20 DEGREES OUTSIDE, POST A BIG SNOW STORM.
A FUNNY STORY ABOUT MY NEMISIS….I WAS ON MY SOFA, WATCHING TV, CAT AT MY SIDE, BOTH CURLED UP WITH AN ELECTRIC THROW, I WAS CHEATING ON MY DIET, WITH A HALLOWEEN SIZE PACK OF M&M’S, AND THOUGHT I LEFT ONE ON THE SOFA, (ROOM DIM WITH ONLY LIGHT FROM TELEVISION SET)……..WOULDN’T YOU KNOW IT, I DID NOT WANT ANY OF THE PETS TO EAT THE CHOCOLATE AS I HEAR THAT IT IS TOXIC, SO…………DAMN IT, AS SOON AS I PUT IT IN MY MOUTH, I KNEW EXACTLY THE TASTE, FEEL, AND UCH…COULDN’T BELIEVE THIS HAPPENED IN A SECOND IT SEEMED LIKE AN HOUR..I SPAT IT OUT ASAP.
I LOCATED IT ACROSS THE ROOM…IT IS NOW 4 HOURS LATER, MY TONGUE STILL FEELS NUMB LIP FUNKY, AND THE TASTE OF THE SMELL STILL WITH ME. I BRUSHED MY TEETH, RINSED WITH HYDROGEN PEROXIDE, AND THEN WAITED WITH WATER AND MILK. I AM STRUGGLING WITH PAPER TOWEL WADS IN MY MOUTH NOT TO SALIVATE. IT IS LIKE A HOT CHILI PEPPER, NASTY TASTE, AND I AM SUFFOCATING THE LITTLE BASTARD IN THE FREEZING NIGHT. NOW I AM ON A QUEST TO SEE IF I POISONED MYSELF OVER A LITTLE M&M GONE ASTRAY.
HAPPY NEW YEARS TO ALL MY OTHER STINK BUG ENTHUSIAST’S, AND A PRAYER WE CAN EXTERMINATE THEM ALL!
COLUMBIA, MARYLAND
Hello CM……. thanks so much for sharing. Yours in one of the best/most terrible tales I have heard so far. Someone should assemble a collection of ‘terrible stink bug tales’ and find a publisher. I think it would make a best seller.
Best JC
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