Japanese Stink Bugs Are Coming

The TV news reported today that the Japanese stink bug army is back in force in 37 states from the American Midwest to Virginia. According to the Wikipedia article Brown Mamorated Stink Bug, the bugs arrived by ship in a container that was opened in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in 1996. They had spread to New Jersey by 2000 and were documented in New York, Connecticut, and Delaware soon thereafter. By 2009, they were known to be in seven states from Maryland and Virginia to Oregon and in an unspecified number of other states in 2010.

According to the local news, stink bugs are causing serious damage to farmers’ crops, but especially to the apple crops in the Midwest. From this, I infer that the cost of apples and other foods will be higher this year. However significant this may be to my food budget remains to be seen, but a less mentioned impact these bugs have is their infestation of homes.

Last November, a rather nasty succession of shield bugs invaded my Virginia home, a few at a time. They looked somewhat similar to native American stink bugs with which I was familiar back when I lived in Texas, so I hesitated to try to kill them. However, when I finally got tired of them making a rather loud sort of whirring, buzzing noise as they flew around and of the clicking sound they made as they hit the ceiling or walls near a light, I smushed one. I couldn’t smell anything, so I killed three or four every night after that. My floor lamp bowl helped out by attracting and cooking more of them.

When it was time for my monthly visit from my pest control technician, I saved one of the desiccated bugs from the lamp to show him. He told me that it was a Japanese stink bug. He said that, having no natural predators here, they multiplied rapidly. Moreover, he told me, they will become more prevalent in the next few years. He also said that the majority of the bugs had gone from the area, and those that remained were in places where they could stay warm — like the ones that had gotten into my attic. They were working their way into my living areas from the attic by coming through the heating and air conditioning ducts or other small openings. Finally, he said that there currently is no pesticide that will eradicate them, but since there is nothing in my house for them to eat, they eventually would die. This wasn’t very comforting. I did take some solace from the fact that none of my visitors whom I asked could detect a stink bug odor in my house.

Combating the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug: A New Threat for Agriculture, a Nuisance for Homeowners” by Dennis O’Brien of the Agricultural Research Service Information Staff confirmed most of what my pest control technician told me, including that there currently is no pest control substance that will eradicate them. They are working on a pheranome trap for them. However, the Wikipedia article stated that the adult Japanese stink bug can go into hibernation when they find a warm place to winter and can live for years. In addition, the article says that a species of wasp in Virginia was observed attacking stink bugs.

I saw what appeared to be the end of last year’s crop of stink bugs in my house near the end of February. I need a new roof, and the salesman told me they will ensure that there are no openings up there that the bugs can enter through. I’m going to get a screen to cover my chimney and do something about the small space under my front door. And I am going to devoutly hope that Government funding for research on stink bugs is not cut. Unfortunately, during the first week of April, while I was at my weekly quilting bee, which is held in a church classroom, a stink bug (a nice fresh one) joined us. What can I do but shudder?