Why Researchers are Re-Creating an Infamous Hitchhiker’s Month-Long Journey Around the Globe
New Zealand is working hard to keep the invasive brown marmorated stink bug from reaching its shores, and researchers there are working with colleagues at the U.S. Department of Agriculture to understand the dynamics of the pest's ocean voyage aboard cargo ships bound for the island nation, in hopes of finding new ways to detect and prevent its arrival.
Stink Bugs Stay Out: Study Measures Gaps Needed for Invasion
If a structure has a gap or entrance large enough for brown marmorated stink bugs to fit through, they will find it. But a new study shows that slits less than 3 millimeters wide and holes less than 7 millimeters wide should successfully exclude the vast majority of the bugs. A related study examines how overwintering stink bugs react to corpses of their fellow bugs remaining from previous winters.
In Search for Better Stink Bug Management, Scientists Look Up
A parasitoid wasp from Asia offers promise for biological control of the brown marmorated stink bug in North America, but new research suggests that monitoring efforts using primarily ground-level traps may be looking in the wrong place.
Why Taxonomic Preparedness is Critical for Invasive Species Response
The story of "Team Trissolcus," insect taxonomists who sprang into action to identify the parasitoid wasps that might help us fight the invasive brown marmorated stink bug.
Attract-and-Kill Strategy Shows Promise for Managing Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs
By using the brown marmorated stink bugs' own aggregation pheromone, the pests can be lured into a condensed area, thereby reducing the area that a grower must spray with insecticide. A two-year study in apple orchards suggests the method could soon become economically feasible.
Could Insecticide Netting Help Manage Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Infestations in Homes?
New research on brown marmorated stink bug behavior indicates they prefer darker surfaces, doorways, and the north and east sides of homes—and that insecticide-treated netting offers potential as a means of nuisance control.
Invasive Insects: The Top 4 “Most Wanted” List
The list of invasive insects in the United States is a long one, but one entomologist offers his list of the top four "most wanted"—plus a note about how entomologists are working to better manage the challenge of invasive insect species.
Oregon Researchers Find a Native Wasp With a Taste for Stink Bugs
A recent study in Oregon details the predatory habits of the wasp Astata unicolor—its preferred prey is the invasive brown marmorated stink bug—and notes its potential as a native natural enemy of the invasive pest.
New Ingredient Improves Pheromone Lure for Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
Researchers at USDA's Agricultural Research Service identified a chemical that enhances capture of the invasive brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) in pheromone traps
In Search of Soybeans Resistant to the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
The Invasive Brown Marmorated Stink Bug is a major pest; USDA researchers hope to breed a resistant soybean.
Stink Bugs: New IPM Guide for Midwestern Corn, Soybean Growers
Farmers in the midwestern United States have been battling increasing infestations from a variety of stink bug species in recent years, and now they have a new free resource for […]
Why Stink Bug Pheromone Traps Perform Poorly During Winter Invasions
Score one for the brown marmorated stink bug, again. Since the pernicious pest arrived in the United States nearly 20 years ago, it has proven difficult to fend off, attacking […]
Long-Lasting Insecticide Nets Show Promise for Control of Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
In the effort to control the invasive brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys), agricultural and urban pest management professionals may have a new tool to add to collection: long-lasting insecticide […]
Native Predators May Be Having a Larger Impact than Expected on Invasive Stink Bug
By Dr. Rob Morrison Research recently appearing in the journal Biological Control may change how we view native predators of the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB). BMSB is an invasive […]
Temperature Affects Stink Bugs More than Any Other Factors
By Richard Levine Many things can affect the size and range of insect populations, including the climate, the availability of food sources, and the absence or presence of predators. But […]
Natural Born Stink Bug Killer Found in Washington State
Since 2007, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has been directing studies of a tiny Asian wasp called Trissolcus japonicus. These wasps are parasitoids of the brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha […]