Subject: Identification Request
Geographic location of the bug: Basel, Switzerland
Date: 10/05/2017
Time: 08:29 AM EDT
Please identify the bug in the attached photos. Thank you.
How you want your letter signed: Maya
Dear Maya,
This is a Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, a species native to Asia that has been introduced to North America where it quickly spread across the continent because it can feed on so many different plants and because it has no natural enemies. As the weather begins to cool, Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs frequently seek shelter indoors to hibernate. According to a Journal Article on PLOS One: “The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), native to Asia, is becoming an invasive species with a rapidly expanding range in North America and Europe. In the US, it is a household pest and also caused unprecedented damage to agriculture crops.”