Washington suffers invasion of the stink bugs

By Stefanie Starke Oct 28, 2010, 4:06 GMT

Washington - First Washington struggled with an explosion of bed bugs, now the US capital is in the throes of an invasion of brown insects shaped like shields and known as stink bugs. Experts are at a loss about how to cope with the problem.

The brown marmorated stink bug is approximately half a centimetre long and often induces a feeling of nausea just by its appearance, but with the added problem that when squashed or irritated it also releases a distinctive pungent smell.

Shaped like a shield, the stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) is native to mainland China but was accidentally introduced into the United States in 1998.

Since then the stink bug's numbers have exploded and this autumn has seen Washington struggle with an invasion with bugs massing around doors and windows. Simply killing them isn't as unproblematic as it might first seem as the stink bug releases an odour similar to sweaty feet when crushed.

First, the US East Coast had to battle with an invasion of blood-sucking bed bugs and now come the stink bugs.

'The situation has gotten out of control. Many desperate victims report several thousand stink bugs in their homes,' says Wayne White, a pest controller with American Pest. Pest controllers are currently fighting a losing battle in their efforts to control the march of the insect.

Pensioner Fran Black from Thurmont, Maryland, is one person who has seen her home invaded by the bugs. 'It's unbelievably disgusting. I've tried everything in an effort to get rid of them but I can't manage it,' complained the 78-year-old.

'It's so bad in one room in our house that our guests can't sleep there. The bugs are simply everywhere.'

Unlike bed bugs, stink bugs are harmless. They don't bite, they don't sting and are not known to transmit disease. But when the weather turns cool each autumn, the bugs search out wintering sites and make their way into houses and buildings.

Stink bugs are also considered a serious agricultural pest, especially because of their huge numbers this year. Crops that can be particularly hard-hit include tree fruit, peppers, tomatoes and sweet corn, with some farmers complaining of a drop in harvest yields of up to 20 per cent.

Experts are puzzled about the tremendous increase in the stink bug's numbers. The exceptionally warm summer could be a reason for the explosion or, more likely, it's the fact that the stink bug has no naturally enemy in the US.

The insect can now be found in 29 US states, just 12 years after the first documented specimens of the 'stinky big sisters', as they are known in China, were collected in Pennsylvania.

So far, there's no successful counter-agent available on the US market for fighting the plague of stink bugs. Scientists are working in several areas, including pheromone traps to collect the insects.

Experts at the University of Maryland recommended sealing cracks around windows, doors, sidings, utility pipes, and other openings into a structure.

However, once the stink bugs have made their way into a building, vacuuming up the insects is virtually the only way to be rid of them. Another more laborious but environmentally friendly method is to collect them in a bag and re-introduce them to the food chain.

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