Stink bug epidemic spreads as 33 U.S. states now report infiltrations of the smelly pest



Appalling smell resembled decaying garbage

They lay up to 30 eggs per year



Few of us ever come to terms with the idea of bed bugs infesting their house and home.

But now a new threat is on the rise that is arguably worse - stink bugs.

Sightings of the brown marmorated stink bug have been reported in 33 states so far this year, a rise of eight since fall alone.

The enemy: The brown marmorated stink bug has now been spotted in 33 states

SPREAD OF THE STINK BUG

The brown marmorated stink bug - or Halyomorpha halys - is not native to the U.S. First found in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in 1998, it is believed to have been introduced into the east of the state a few years earlier. While not dangerous, it is clear when a stink bug is around due to the appalling smell it emits when squashed or crushed. The insect does not transmit disease and is not poisonous, but can bite humans. It also likes to eat plants and vegetables. Irritatingly, the stink bug is extremely difficult to catch as it can simply fly away. Coming from the insect family Pentatomidae, it is well known as an agricultural pest in its native habitat of China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. In recent years it has feasted on crops on islands in the mid-Atlantic and is now feared to become a regular feature in the U.S. in summers to come, although it sometimes surfaces during sunny winter days. An adult stink bug is around 17mm long and is almost as wide. Its scent glands, which are found on the dorsal surface of the abdomen and underside of the thorax, are responsible for its repulsive stink. It typically lays yellow or yellow/red eggs on the underside of leaves in batches of 20 to 30.



The pest appears to be spreading from its traditional home in the mid-Atlantic coast throughout America, experts said.

The only areas to escape the epidemic are the Rockies and the Plains but everywhere else homeowners have found thousands of the dime-sized creatures infesting their homes in beds and in sofas.

Stink bugs are named after the smell they emit whenever they are squashed or crushed.

Like bed bugs they do not transmit disease and are not poisonous.

They do however bite you, eat your plants and vegetables and emit an appalling stench when they are squeezed that resembles decaying garbage.

They are also almost impossible to get rid of and have wings which means they fly off when you try to catch them.

So far this year the bugs have been spotted as far west as California, in Minnesota to the North and Florida in the South.

According to USA Today the eight states recently infected are Arizona, Iowa, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.

Hailing originally from China, Japan and Korea each stink bug has the capacity to lay up to 30 eggs per nesting session.

They are transported long distances by cargo containers or from garden to garden simply by the wind when it is strong enough to carry them.

Entomologist David Rider of North Dakota State University said there were 4,700 species of stink bugs in the world and 250 of them were in the USA and Canada.

The brown marmorated one in the America is causing all the problems - they were first accidentally introduced to Pennsylvania in 1987 and have spread since.

Last summer there was a hugely damaging infestation in the mid-Atlantic states where people found ‘thousands in their homes’.

Spreading: The eight states in red are the most recent to have reported infestations, while those in green show the furthest they have travelled north, south and west

Stink bugs pose a grave threat to agriculture and they can cause millions of dollars worth of damage and ruin entire fields of crops.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has spent $10million trying to find a way to exterminate them but has so far had been unsuccessful.

The pest feeds on and can destroy crops like sweet corn

‘I would say people now regard them as an out-of-control pest,’ said Kim Hoelmer, a research entomologist at the USDA.

‘They feed on a wide range of important food crops. Crops such as sweet corn, apples, pears, grapes, berries, peaches, tomatoes and peppers appear to be the most vulnerable.

‘Some growers have lost their entire crop to stink bug infestations.

This adds up to many millions of dollars of losses in crop values.

It's a serious economic loss to some growers.’

Homeowners who find stink bugs in their home are advised to contact a professional exterminator.

Typically they will emerge from cracks under or behind baseboards, around window and door trims and around exhaust fans or lights in ceilings.

According to guidelines from Penn State College of Etymology, you should: ‘Seal these openings with caulk or other suitable materials to prevent the insects from crawling out.

‘Both live and dead stink bugs can be removed from interior areas with the aid of a vacuum cleaner - however, the vacuum may acquire the smell of stink bugs for a period of time.’

Penn advises that if you simply put down poison they will retreat until the environment is safe and then return.