- Author: Ben Faber
A lot of work has been put into monitoring the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys (Hemitpera: Pentatomidae). It has been a major problem in many areas of the country, as well as California. Hoddle and crew did extensive trapping in the state and found some serious populations in some areas and fewer in others. Read their great story here - https://cisr.ucr.edu/blog/2013/06/17/pheromone-trapping-program-brown-marmorated-stinkbug
A recent study by Illán et al suggests a more predictive method of assessing the threat of spread across the US and California:
Evaluating invasion risk and population dynamics of the brown marmorated stink bug across the contiguous United States
Abstract
BACKGROUND; Invasive species threaten the productivity and stability of natural and managed ecosystems. Predicting the spread of invaders, which can aid in early mitigation efforts, is a major challenge, especially in the face of climate change. While ecological niche models are effective tools to assess habitat suitability for invaders, such models have rarely been created for invasive pest species with rapidly expanding ranges. Here, we leveraged a national monitoring effort from 543 sites over 3 years to assess factors mediating the occurrence and abundance of brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB, Halyomorpha halys), an invasive insect pest that has readily established throughout much of the United States.
RESULTS; We used maximum entropy models to estimate the suitable habitat of BMSB under several climate scenarios, and generalized boosted models to assess environmental factors that regulated BMSB abundance. Our models captured BMSB distribution and abundance with high accuracy, and predicted a 70% increase in suitable habitat under future climate scenarios. However, environmental factors that mediated the geographical distribution of BMSB were different from those driving abundance. While BMSB occurrence was most affected by winter precipitation and proximity to populated areas, BMSB abundance was influenced most strongly by evapotranspiration and solar photoperiod.
CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that linking models of establishment (occurrence) and population dynamics (abundance) offers a more effective way to forecast the spread and impact of BMSB and other invasive species than simply occurrence-based models, allowing for targeted mitigation efforts. Implications of distribution shifts under climate change are discussed.
https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.7113
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![Brown marmoratted stinkbug Brown marmoratted stinkbug](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/95049.jpg)
- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
The invasive pest spotlight focuses on emerging or potential invasive pests in California. In this issue we are covering the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB).
Brown marmorated stink bug facts
BMSB can cause severe crop and garden losses and become a nuisance in and around homes and other buildings. They can get into buildings as they congregate in late summer and early fall when seeking safe overwintering sites. Once inside buildings BMSB may become a nuisance and emit an offensive odor if disturbed or crushed. In the spring, adults move from overwintering sites to host plants.
Brown marmorated stink bugs are not harmful to people, houses, or pets. They do not bite, sting, suck blood, or spread mammalian diseases. They do not eat or bore into wood structures. Building occupants may become alarmed when the bugs enter the building and noisily fly about when lights are on. The ability of BMSB to hitchhike in vehicles and planes has allowed it to spread rapidly to new areas.
The adult BMSB is a shield-shaped stink bug, about 5/8 inch long, and marbled brown. It can be distinguished from other similar stink bugs by the characteristics shown in Figure 1.
What can you do?
If you find a stink bug that you suspect might be a BMSB, place the bug in a container and carefully note where and when you collected it. Take the sealed container to your county agricultural commissioner or local UC Cooperative Extension office.
For more information, read the BMSB Pest Alert on the UC IPM website ipm.ucanr.edu/pestalert/pabrownmarmorated.html.
![Features of brown marmorated stink bugs. [Credit: Steve Jacobs, PSU] Features of brown marmorated stink bugs. [Credit: Steve Jacobs, PSU]](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/95074.jpg)
As our weather warms, be on the lookout for the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB). It's important to be able to recognize this voracious pest in order to prevent its spread.
This pest doesn't limit itself to the outdoors: because it likes warm conditions, in late summer and early fall it will seek shelter in the warm cavities between residential home walls, and even in cars. The first BMSB formally identified in Butte County was found crawling on the walls of the enclosed back porch of this writer's home in July of 2013. A few months later, I spotted one inside my car. Resist the urge to smash it: the stink bug earned its colloquial name for a very good reason. Making an early appearance, the BMSB has already been spotted in Chico this spring.
Stowed away on a cargo ship from Asia, the BSMB entered the US in the late 90s. According to a 2012 article in the Wall Street Journal, the US Department of Agriculture noted that this immigrant pest had spread to 36 states; in 2010 trade groups reported $37 million worth of damage to apple crops alone. In California a reproducing population was first found in the LA County areas of Pasadena and San Marino in 2006. The BMSB has since been detected in many other parts of the state, making its way north to Sacramento and Yuba City by 2013. Home gardeners can be of key assistance in preventing the spread of this exotic, invasive species.
Control and Management: Because the BMSB is a nuisance in and around the home, and poses real danger to commercial crops and ornamental plants, methods of control and eradication are being explored and tested all over the US.
Nuisance Control: A number of non-invasive methods are available to the homeowner seeking to rid walls and rooms of these bugs: direct a flashlight onto a pan of soapy water in a dark room which contains the bugs and watch them crawl or fly in and drown. Try sucking them into a hand vacuum cleaner (dedicated to this purpose) or shop vac; sweeping them into a bucket of soapy water; or place in Ziploc bag and freeze or squash them. Use silicone, caulk, or foam to seal the small narrow gaps by which they gain entry into homes, porches, and garages.
Management and Eradication Methods: The use of pesticides is not recommended, as they have not been proven to be effective for either small- or large-scale eradication. For the home gardener, be on the lookout: hand-pick the slow-moving, fairly large adult bugs and drop them into a bucket of soapy water. Hand vacuums can be effective in the garden, as can their natural enemies which include assassin bugs, earwigs, and green lacewing larvae. Birds may feed on adults and nymphs.
Keep an eye out in your home, your garage, and your garden for the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug so that you can help control the spread of this damaging pest. Pick it, trap it, drown it or vacuum it up: just don't step on it!
NOTE: for more information: UC IPM BMSB Pestnote; UC Riverside Center for Invasive Species Research; and Stop BMSB. For details on the BMSB and almonds, see Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Emerging as Significant Pest in Almonds - West Coast Nut (wcngg.com).
UC Master Gardeners of Butte County are part of the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) system. To learn more about us and our upcoming events, and for help with gardening in our area, visit our website. If you have a gardening question or problem, email the Hotline at mgbutte@ucanr.edu (preferred) or call (530) 538-7201.
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?
(Credit: S Ausmus)
- 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 forewings have dark bands at the tip
- Banded abdominal edge is visible to the side of the wings
What damage does BMSB cause?
BMSB can feed on more than 100 host plants including tree fruit, vegetables, shade trees, and leguminous crops. They also feed on ornamental trees and shrubs including tree-of-heaven (an invasive plant in CA), Catalpa, Southern magnolia, redbud, and Chinese pistache. Where BMSB establishes, it can cause severe crop loss, garden loss, and can become a nuisance to people. The insects swarm into homes and other buildings in late fall to find hiding places to spend the winter.
What can you do?
Report BMSB to your local county agricultural commissioner or local UC Cooperative Extension office. You can learn more about BMSB and its damage in our Pest Notes: Brown Marmorated Stink Bug.
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- Author: Dustin Blakey
Recently brown marmorated stink bugs (Haylomorpha halys) were found in Inyo and Mono counties. This invasive pest from Asia is relatively new to our area. Its first sighting was in Bishop last year.
We have plenty of species of stink bugs on the east side, but this one is especially annoying because it tends to aggregate in large numbers and will attempt to get inside homes and structure to avoid cold weather. As our temperatures return to more normal ranges, I would expect more issues with home ingress.
We have had reports from Swall Meadows down to Big Pine, and possibly an isolated case in Olancha. My hunch is they arrived from northern California, not down south, but there is no way to tell for sure.
As of now, most stink bugs you will encounter are not BMSB. You can identify this pest by a couple notable features: like many stink bugs it is brown, but it has white bands on its antennae and has alternating white and dark coloration on its abdomen. It also has rounded shoulders; similar species in our area have pointed shoulders.
Spraying adult stink bugs doesn't do much good. The best course of action is to ensure your homes are sealed up well so they can't get in.
If these bugs do come inside, they can be trapped easily. (Squishing them is just messy and smelly. Trapping is a better choice.) Here is a video from Virginia Tech showing a good way to trap them.
Stink bug trap - Virginia Tech from VirginiaTech on Vimeo.
They can also be vacuumed up. Here is what UC IPM suggests you do:
An efficient way to collect stink bugs indoors is by sucking them up with a dry or wet vacuum. The bugs will cause the collection canister or bag and other parts of the vacuum to give off an unpleasant stink bug odor, so some people dedicate a vacuum cleaner to stink bug capture only. Alternatively, a nylon stocking can be stuffed inside the tube and securing the end over the outside of the vacuum tube with a rubber band; this way, bugs are collected in the stocking and not the vacuum cleaner bag. Individual stink bugs can be brushed off into a cut-off plastic bottle containing an inch of soapy water, where they will drown in a short period of time. If needed, the container can be fastened to a pole or broom handle to reach high locations. Stink bugs caught live also can be placed inside a plastic sealable bag and then into a freezer for 2 days to kill them. To conserve water, avoid flushing them down the toilet and avoid placing live stink bugs in the garbage so they do not become established around landfills.
Hopefully this will just be a minor nuisance for us, and nothing more.
For more information consult this page at UC IPM or send a message to our helpline at immg@ucanr.edu.