Have you met this guy yet?

[Stinky The Clown]

The Marmorated Stink Bug



Isn't he cute? Not if you live in the Mid Atlantic. These guys are everywhere. Their current life goal is to enter your house and overwinter there. A walk around your house will reveal hundreds of them.

Like other sudden pests before them, they're an import. These are from China, Korea, and Japan. They become a bigger problem here because, while they made it over here, their natural enemies did not. Right now they're able to produce 400 eggs for each female, with a high percentage making it to maturity.

By the way, don't snicker about them. They're heading your way. In addition to their strongholds in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, and West Virginia, noticeable populations have turned up in Ohio, Oregon, Mississippi, California, and elsewhere. They're not just ugly, either. They cause damage to stone fruit crops, but are not particularly choosy eaters. That's why they do well after crossing the country in a storage compartment of an RV or in a suitcase in the belly of an airplane. They'll eat almost anything, but love fruiting crops.

While this is yet another "Be Afraid" story, the fact is, these guys have already caused more direct damage than any other "Be Afraid" story subject since 9/11. Maybe if we allow bugs on the watch list the feds will do more to rid us of these and their buddies - like the green horn worm, the gypsy moth, the killer bees, and fire ants.

[Brickbat]

1. But worrying about such things would Hurt Trade and Raise Prices!

AND GOD KNOWS WE CAN'T HAVE THAT!

[another saigon]

2. add this one to the invader list

The Asian tiger mosquito was accidentally introduced into the U.S. 20 years ago and is a carrier of West Nile virus. The mosquito has spread rapidly around the world and is known for its aggressive daytime activity and ability to breed in the smallest puddles of water commonly found in gutters, old tires, and empty cans.

North Americans know it for the particularly nasty welts and skin irritation left by its bite.

[a la izquierda]

3. i've seen something that looks very similar...

in my vegetable garden in Oklahoma. but he was totally green. maybe a different species?

[Stinky The Clown]

5. Dunno .... the ones around here are all identical to the one in the porttrait.

Maybe you saw this guy?

He's a close relation, but not the same bug. He lives across the country, but has natural predators to keep him in balance.

[cliffordu]

4. I do believe I have seen these things for my entire life...

Just a stinkbug, right???

[Stinky The Clown]

7. A stinkbug, yes, but not "just" a stinkbug.

As a newly introduced (2001) non native species, they have no natural predators and thus their population explodes. At normal population densities, they're completely unremarkable.

[Maine-ah]

6. this guy was on my tomato plant a couple of years ago

I didn't know he was a hitchhiker, thought they were domestic.

[Stinky The Clown]

8. The literature says they're imports.

Widespread and essentially naturalized now, but imports at the start.

[Uncle Joe]

9. That's nothing compared to the poison spread by the Down Under Stinkbug.

He's not cute and his current life goal is to enter your house via the television using misinformation to warp your brain.

He doesn't lay eggs but he poops a lot and generally stinks the place up.

Thanks for the thread, Stinky The Clown.

[madinmaryland]

10. Kind of funny that Stinky the Clown is talking about Stink Bugs!!

Yeah, the damn things are everywhere. Even the cats won't eat them when they get inside. About the only thing you can do is make sure the house is sealed.

About it's only natural enemy are bats, but they have been in decline for a long time.

[Stinky The Clown]

11. We used to see two, three, six bats when we took evening walks. Now we can go for .....

.... days, maybe a week or more without seeing them.

[11 Bravo]

12. Several times a day!

[Cleita]

13. If people encourage their spider, toad and frog populations and

stop killing them with pesticides and other means, the spiders will take care of them and keep their numbers low. I've seen the spiders do a number on cockroaches. In urban areas where pesticides are used to kill the roaches, it also kills the spiders and often the toads and frogs that eat insect pests as well.

Also, regarding bats, if you encourage bats in your neighborhood by giving them places to live like bat houses, they will come.

[Stinky The Clown]

14. Right outside my office door there's a resident spider . . . . .

It is a protected doorway. The spider resides outside the glass slider at the top. I was watching him trap and then kill one of these stink bugs. The spider was far smaller than the stink bug, but once trapped in the web, the spider was able to dispatch him with alacrity. His remains remain there today, suspended.