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Q. What are stink bugs, where did they come from, and how can I get rid of them?

A. If you live in the mid-Atlantic states, you are probably dealing with brown marmorated stink bugs, Halyomorpha halys, a true bug in the order Hemiptera, with a proboscis adapted for piercing and sucking plants. They are fairly recent invaders of the United States, presumably as stowaways in cargo from China, and were identified first in Pennsylvania in 1998, according to research sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture.

They have become major crop pests, as they were in their native China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. They are best known to invaded households for the appalling odor their scent glands emit when they are under pressure, presumably to ward off predators. Native stink bugs, which are not crop pests, are similar in appearance but have a yellow-green underside, whereas the invaders’ is brown.

Removal is tricky, and pest authorities recommend keeping them from entering dwellings in the first place by sealing cracks and window frames.