The brown marmorated stink bug is an invasive pest present throughout much of the United States.
Native to Asia, it made its way to the US in the mid-1990s, possibly stowing away in a shipping container, and has become a concern for farmers due to its appetite for various crops, including fruits, vegetables, and grains.
Dealing with these pesky insects can be a challenge for both homeowners and gardeners, but there are effective methods to control their population and prevent them from causing damage.
In this article, we will explore some of the best ways to get rid of the brown marmorated stink bug without resorting to harmful chemicals or costly extermination methods.
Understanding Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs
Origin and Expansion
The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), scientifically known as Halyomorpha halys, is an invasive pest.
It originally hails from Asia and made its way to the United States in the mid-1990s. Experts believe it likely arrived via shipping containers1.
BMSB populations have since expanded throughout North America, causing significant concern for farmers2.
Identification and Characteristics
Easily identifiable, these stink bugs have a few key features:
- Shield-shaped exoskeleton
- Blotchy brown to grayish color
- Length of 1/2 to 5/8 inches
- White bands on antennae and legs3
Distinguishing them from native stink bugs, these markings set BMSBs apart.
Behavior and Diet
BMSBs are notorious for their unpleasant odor when threatened or crushed. Their diet mainly consists of fruits, vegetables, and crops such as:
- Apples
- Peaches
- Corn
- Tomatoes
- Beans
- Soybeans4
They possess piercing-sucking mouthparts, which allow them to extract plant juices. This often leads to significant damage to both foliage and fruits5.
Preventing Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Infestations
Sealing Your Home
Brown marmorated stink bugs can be a nuisance in homes. To prevent them from entering, seal gaps and cracks on doors, windows, and walls.
Crevices can be closed using caulk and weather stripping. For instance:
- Apply caulk around window frames and door frames
- Install weather stripping around doors and windows
Maintaining Your Garden
To avoid attracting stink bugs, maintain your garden, especially during spring and fall.
Clearing fallen leaves and debris minimizes their hiding places. Be cautious with plants, vegetables, and fruits, as stink bugs are attracted to them.
Simple gardening tips:
- Remove fallen leaves and debris regularly
- Harvest fruits and vegetables as they ripen
Using Screens and Barriers
Another effective way to keep stink bugs out is by using screens and barriers. Install screens on doors and windows to block their entry points.
Pest control can also be helpful if the infestation is severe. For example:
- Install fine mesh screens on doors and windows
- Consider professional pest control services for extreme infestations
Pros and Cons of using screens:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Effective in blocking entry points | Can be costly for large homes |
| Easy to install | Requires regular maintenance (cleaning) |
Remember, keeping your home sealed and your garden maintained, along with using screens and barriers, can prevent brown marmorated stink bug infestations.
Just follow these simple precautions and maintain a pest-free environment.
How to Get Rid of Brown Marmorated Stink Bug: Dealing with Infestations
Non-Chemical Methods
To get rid of stink bugs in your home, some non-chemical methods can be effective. For example:
- Vacuuming: Use a utility vacuum like a Shop-Vac or a vacuum with a bag, and empty it right away to prevent odor.
- Manual removal: Gently sweep the bugs into a container of soapy water to kill them.
- Sealing entry points: Caulk and seal gaps around windows, doors, and other openings to prevent stink bugs from entering your home.
Alternative Home Remedies
These DIY solutions are eco-friendly, cost-effective, and can be easily implemented using household items.
- Soapy Water Trap: Fill a large bowl or pan with water and add a few drops of dish soap. Place the bowl near a light source at night. Stink bugs are attracted to light, and once they land in the soapy water, they’ll be unable to escape and will drown.
- Essential Oils: Certain essential oils, like mint, lavender, and eucalyptus, can act as natural repellents for stink bugs. Mix 10-15 drops of essential oil with water in a spray bottle and spray around windows, doors, and other entry points.
- Garlic Spray: Stink bugs dislike the strong odor of garlic. Mix 2 cups of water with 4 teaspoons of garlic powder. Spray the solution around your home’s perimeter, especially near doors and windows, to deter the bugs.
- Diatomaceous Earth: This natural powder can be sprinkled around the home’s foundation and potential entry points. It acts as a desiccant, drying out any stink bugs that come into contact with it.
- Sticky Traps: While typically used for other pests, sticky traps can be effective in capturing stink bugs. Place them near windows or light sources to catch the bugs as they move around.
- Reduce Outdoor Lighting: Stink bugs are attracted to lights. By reducing outdoor lighting or using yellow or sodium vapor lights, you can decrease the number of bugs drawn to your home.
- Dryer Sheets: Some homeowners have found success in repelling stink bugs using scented dryer sheets. Rubbing them on window screens or placing them near entry points can deter the bugs due to the strong scent.
- Neem Oil: This natural pesticide can be sprayed on plants and around the home to deter stink bugs. Mix a few drops of neem oil with water and spray it on affected areas.
- Cedar Blocks or Chips: The scent of cedar is another natural repellent for stink bugs. Place cedar blocks or chips near entry points or in areas where stink bugs are commonly found.
Remember, while these home remedies can be effective in reducing the number of stink bugs in and around your home, they may not eliminate the problem entirely.
Chemical Methods
In case of severe infestations, chemical methods can be used to control stink bugs outdoors:
- Insecticides: Apply insecticides to the underside of plants, especially tomato plants, where stink bugs commonly lay eggs.
- Pesticides: Use pesticides specifically labeled for stink bug control in the environment around your home or garden.
Note: It’s essential to follow the product instructions and precautions when using chemical methods.
Working with Pest Control Companies
If infestations persist, consider hiring a pest control company. Before choosing, compare these features of potential companies:
- Experience: Look for companies with a proven track record in dealing with stink bugs.
- Prices: Compare costs and service packages of different pest control companies.
- Services: Ensure the company offers both chemical and non-chemical treatment options.
- Environmental impact: Check if they use eco-friendly methods and materials.
Keep in mind that working with a reputable pest control company can provide valuable support and guidance during a stink bug infestation.
Impact on Agriculture and the Environment
Damage to Farm Crops
Brown marmorated stink bugs (BMSB) cause significant damage to farm crops by piercing plant tissues and sucking out plant juices.
Major crops affected by BMSB include apples, corn, soybeans, peaches, and beans.
Type of damage:
- Apple: misshapen and discolored fruits
- Corn: kernels are pierced and shrunken
- Soybeans: seeds are deformed and have reduced yield
Effects on Local Ecosystems
BMSB invade various ecosystems, acting as invasive species.
Halyomorpha halys have few natural predators in their new environments, allowing them to reproduce at rapid rates and disrupt local ecosystems.
Consequences:
- Outcompete native species for resources
- Alter food chains, affecting higher trophic levels
Efforts to Control and Mitigate Damage
Farmers and researchers take several approaches to control BMSB and reduce their damage on crops and the environment:
Pheromone traps: Attract and capture stink bugs using attractive chemicals imitating stink bug aggregation pheromones.
Biological control: Introducing native predators and parasitic wasps to control BMSB populations. These beneficial insects can help reduce brown marmorated stink bug numbers.
Chemical control: Use of targeted insecticides to suppress BMSB population without harming beneficial insects.
Physical barriers: Protective netting and screens prevent BMSB from accessing crops.
| Control Method | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Pheromone traps | Non-toxic, target-specific | May not provide complete control, need regular monitoring |
| Biological control | Environmentally-friendly, long-term solution | Takes time, may not provide immediate control |
| Chemical control | Effective, quick results | Potential harm to beneficial insects, resistance development |
| Physical barriers | Non-toxic, no harm to other organisms | Expensive, labor-intensive, may not be suitable for all crops |
Bug Control Recommendation Tool
Bug Control Recommendation Tool
Conclusion
The brown marmorated stink bug, an invasive pest from Asia, poses significant challenges for homeowners and farmers alike. While they don’t harm humans, their feeding habits can damage a variety of crops.
Prevention methods, such as sealing homes and maintaining gardens, are crucial. For infestations, both non-chemical and chemical solutions are available.
Collaborating with reputable pest control companies can also be beneficial. By understanding and implementing these strategies, a bug-free home and garden are achievable.
Footnotes
38 Comments. Leave new
There are a bunch in Wisconsin at Willow River State Park. I’ve never seen them anywhere else.
Thanks for your sighting report.
i live im columbus ohio and just seen a white stink bug for the first time.
they just killed my cucumbers in NC
I live in a little town called Souderton in Montgomery county Pa. I found a white stink bug with red spots just like the one pictured above from Lebanon county Pa. I have seen plenty of stink bugs across the country but never a white one. I don’t know how to upload pictures for you to see but as I said it is identical to the one posted on your website–What’s that bug. Just thought I would let you know there is another one in Pa. I guess if there is one there are two and if there are two, well you get my point. I’m sure there are more some where. Maybe even outside where I live. Thank you for your time—-Chuck—-
This is a Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, freshly metamorphosed. Send your photo using our standard form.
This looks like being Pentatomidae, Pentatominae, Erthesina fullo, Yellow-spotted Stink Bug.
http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/392696027.
This looks like being Pentatomidae, Pentatominae, Erthesina fullo, Yellow-spotted Stink Bug.
http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/392696027.
I’m in East Tennessee and I saw one of these in my Garden on a pepper plant yesterday, it is an albino stink bug, and I know this to be a fact since there was also dozens of brown ones in my garden too.
Immediately after metamorphosis, the freshly molted insect is lighter in color. Without an image it is difficult to be certain, but we suspect the white Stink Bug you witnessed darkened after several hours.
Or, more likely these are the first instar of the Common Green Shield Bug (“Stink” Bug being reserved for the American version) which is actually common to the British Isles (and much of Europe — I have a picture of one in Stuttgart, Germany laying eggs).
http://www.britishbugs.org.uk/heteroptera/Pentatomidae/palomena_prasina.html
When you hear hoofbeats, don’t think first of the zebra…
Thanks for providing a link Curious Girl.
Or, more likely these are the first instar of the Common Green Shield Bug (“Stink” Bug being reserved for the American version) which is actually common to the British Isles (and much of Europe — I have a picture of one in Stuttgart, Germany laying eggs).
http://www.britishbugs.org.uk/heteroptera/Pentatomidae/palomena_prasina.html
When you hear hoofbeats, don’t think first of the zebra…
They just killed my squash in NC
They are killing my squash here in NC too.
And nothing seems to get rid of them!
They are killing my squash here in NC too.
And nothing seems to get rid of them!
I have them on my tomatoe plants here in Indianapolis, IN
Found in eastern Connecticut today, 9/2/16
I am a master gardener and I am helping to put together a beginning Entomology class to teach other Master Gardeners how to identify insects that are brought in to our clinics. I would like to ask for permission to use your photo of the Brown Marmorated stink bug eggs and nymphs above. They are a great example.
Thank you
Teri Gau
What’s That Bug? frequently allows images from our site to be used for educational purposes. You have our permission to use this image. We will attempt to locate a higher resolution image and forward it to you.
I am a master gardener and I am helping to put together a beginning Entomology class to teach other Master Gardeners how to identify insects that are brought in to our clinics. I would like to ask for permission to use your photo of the Brown Marmorated stink bug eggs and nymphs above. They are a great example.
Thank you
Teri Gau
I found a white stink bug in downtown San Jose, CA . Looks just like the picture and moves very slowly.
After 12 hours, the stink bug was its typical brown color and moved normally.
I have not found any evidence of the BMSB being in South Africa. Could you provide a source?
Thanks!
Thanks for the comment Curious Girl. We still believe the identification is correct, but without verification that the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug has been introduced to South Africa, we are qualifying the identification and amending the posting.
I have not found any evidence of the BMSB being in South Africa. Could you provide a source?
Thanks!
Whether native or not, this bug was spotted again in Mumbai in a cab.
Growing up in Jharkhand India in the 1970s we saw these all the time around the house. The Brown Marmorated version is what they looked like. I read they came to the USA around 1998, well they were in India long before that. They werent in numbers high enough to be called a pest though. I wonder if the different varietes of stink bugs have different stinks? Has there been a Stink-o-Analysis done? 🙂
Our editors do not have noses sensitive enough to distinguish differences in the smells of different species of Stink Bugs, and we would also propose that the diet of the individual might cause variations in the smells within a species as well.
I found this same white stinkbug on a petal of a rosebud that is opening on my potted rose in Tampa Bay area of Florida. Glad I found out what it is.
i found an army of white stink bugs marching down the vine of a pumpkin plant. Harford County, Maryland.
Theses suckers are eating my zucchini
Found one on a leaf in our back yard. We live in flint, Michigan
Been finding them on my cannabus every morning for the last two weeks.
These “white stink bugs” are all over my squash in my garden. Not sure if they are what is killing the squash plants but I know for a fact they stay white & don’t turn brown. There are many tiny nymph ones & large mature ones and not one brown one.
They are in my mother’s vegetable garden; mainly on her zucchini. We’re in Georgia. I’m gonna go commando on them.
They were all over my bean plants last year. They were the same size as brown ones. There weren’t any brown ones in my garden, but hundreds of white ones.
I am in Georgia.
They are in my garden in Georgia and have killed my cucumbers and my yellow squash. Natural pesticides do not work on them. They are ruining my harvest. Someone needs to find a way to eradicate them.