New Insect Moving This Direction

Published: December 21, 2011

Its wide host range, including fruiting vegetables, fruit, soybeans and corn, along with its tendency to congregate in homes during the winter, make it a formidable problem. In the areas where it has become a pest, producers are spraying insecticides more frequently and still are sustaining damage. Insectides that control our native stink bugs often are not effective against the BMSB. Homeowners may be invaded by thousands of the smelly insects in the fall as they seek overwintering spots.

Brown marmorated stink bug

The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) has caused millions of dollars of damage to crops in the northeastern and mid-Atlantic states. One of these insects, which are prone to hitchhiking, was found at a rest stop on I-70, west of Kansas City, KS. They have a confirmed presence in 33 states and are causing severe damage in five states. It was apparently accidentally introduced in eastern Pennsylvania and was first collected there in 1998.

Researchers are working to find effective pesticide controls as well as long-term biological controls such as natural parasites. They are also developing monitoring traps and charting BMSB's spread across the United States.

The adults are just under ¾ inch long. They differ from our native brown stink bugs in that they have lighter bands on the antennae and darker bands on the membranous, overlapping part at the rear of the front wings. If you find these insects, please contact your local University of Missouri Extension Center. More information can be found at http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/brown-marmorated-stink-bug.