- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
Stink bugs are common pests in gardens but the brown marmorated stink bug, or BMSB, is of particular concern. BMSB (Halyomorpha halys) was first detected in Los Angeles County in 2006 and has since been detected in many other parts of California with large populations in some counties.
What does BMSB look like?
The adult BMSB is similar in shape to other stink bugs can be distinguished by the following characteristics:
- Two white bands on the antennae
- Forward edge of head is blunt
- Margin of the shoulder is smooth
- Legs are marbled brown with faint white bands
- Membranous parts of...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
From the UCANR Green Blog
Scientists are rearing tiny Asian wasps in quarantine and evaluating whether they can be released in California to battle brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), an invasive pest that poses a serious threat to the state's $54 billion agricultural industry, they reported in the current issue of California Agriculture journal.
The wasp, Trissolcus japonicus, has scientists feeling hopeful, said Chuck Ingels, UC Cooperative Extension advisor in Sacramento...
The Bagrada bug, Bagrada hilaris, a colorful stink bug much smaller than the brown marmorated stink bug, prefers to feed on crucifers. It is a seed and bud feeder that can be very damaging to cole crop vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower. In the landscape it can become very abundant on alyssum, stock, candy tuft, and mustards. The best strategy for landscapes infested with this pest is to replace alyssum and other hosts with alternative plants that it does not feed on.
In the United States, the bagrada bug was first found in Los Angeles County in 2008. By 2011, the pest had disseminated throughout Southern...
The brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) or BMSB is a new invasive pest of urban and suburban homes and landscapes in California.
A native of Asia, the brown marmorated stink bug immigrated into the United States in the 1990s but has only recently been reported in California. The bug prefers to feed on seeds and fruits, so is most damaging to fruit crops; however, it is a polyphagous feeder that may feed on fruit, leaves, or seeds of many ornamental plants as well.
Landscape managers may become most aware of this new pest in the fall when it aggregates in very large numbers on trees or within dwellings, often becoming a nuisance pest.
For more information about the brown marmorated stink bug, read the...