BMS's were a terrible problem for me last year in Howard County, MD. My property is a stone's throw from a huge tract of woods, which is probably part of why I had it worse than others. The worst part was that BMS's laugh at bagged fruit. They just penetrated my apples right through the (plastic) bags, leaving the apple covered with dozens of brown pock marks that penetrated 1/3" into each fruit. Most of my apples ended up in the compost pile. I have some pictures of tomatoes with 10 stink bugs on one fruit. Towards the end of the season I just pulled all my tomatoes because every single one was destroyed before it even got to the point where I could pick it at first blush and let it ripen inside. This year I focused on root vegetables and early season stuff, as the BMS's were far worse at the end of the summer than at the beginning. The scariest part is they are warning that it will be worse this year than it was last year. I can't imagine.

Been away for awhile, and in that time, the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug has achieved much more notoriety in my state of Maryland, and many other states--19 others, according to the USDA. Seems my warning has already come to pass--sadly. As I previously noted, these bugs are adaptable and eat anything and everything. I believe I mentioned they suck the juice from BASIL--ordinarily thought to have insecticidal qualities. So it appears we have a new harmful insect that will be with us indefinitely. A picture of the bug covers the entire front page of the Howard County Times in Maryland, in an article titled "Little Bug, Big Stink; (invasive bug wreaking havoc in the mid-Atlantic)". So here's what the research says: 1. First detected in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in 1998, and believed to have arrived in shipping container from Asia. 2. The word "marmorated" refers mostly to the white bands on the antennae. 3. The "stink" is a defense mechanism emitted when the BMSB feels threatened and has two aromatic chemicals--Trans-2-decenal and trans-2-octenal (the former of which is also found in Cilantro). 4. According to the Howard County (Md.) Times, the BMSB lives between 6 and 8 months. According to Wikipedia, the BMSB lives a couple of years. 5. Do BMSBs have any natural enemies in the U.S.?: "There are various native natural enemies that do feed on BMSBs including predatory stink bugs, assasin bugs, and two egg parasitoids. Unfortunately they attack many species of insects; because of the sheer numbers of BMSBs, they are unable to control them at this time." 6. Why are they a problem? "The potential exists for the BMSB to become a significant agricultural pest. In fact, severe damage to apples, peaches and pears has already been reported in parts of Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia". **My note: Severe damage has occurred to many vegetable crops and other fruit crops as well. 7. "The USDA's Agricultural Research Service has formed a work group aimed at securing funding for research on the life cycle of this exotic breed of stink bug, and techniques to control it in a sustainable way." (**Yay--Government to the rescue.) 8, "Are the BMSBs breeding in my home over Winter? Are they making some sort of 'nest'?" "No. During the Winter months, the BMSB enters a type of hibernation called diapause. During this time, they do not feed and they do not reproduce. In fact, females are incapable of reproducing until early Spring". 9. And most interesting, for me: "Why do BMSBs collect in large clusters?" "When a BMSB finds a site that is suitable for over-wintering, it releases a chemical called an aggregation pheromone. The aggregation pheromone is a scent that attracts other BMSBs to the area". Ah, hah! A clue to the solution! Why not duplicate the scent (in the laboratory) of the aggregation pheromone, and use it as an attractant to gather all the BMSBs into traps--much like Japanese Beetle traps--but much larger, to contain the sheer numbers of BMSBs? (When you develop such an attractant, please send 10% of the fortune you accrue from the sale of this chemical attractant directly to me.) Also, for small-scale gardeners, there's always the WATER control I mentioned previously. BMSBs hate water, and will immediately migrate to the tops of vegetable plants that are watered, where they can be picked off or pushed into (funneled) containers of soapy water (or alcohol).

I don't think I have those invaders. Mine don't have the white around the edge, but they do look a lot like them. I would hate to get those things in my house. To me stink bugs look alike. I have been trying to find the beneficial predatory one so I don't kill good guys. I've decided if they are on my tomatoes or blueberries they get squashed what ever they are. The scariest thing is that some people think they are allergic to them. It would be bad enough to have the bugs, but to be sick from them would be awful.

Susan, I read this article last night and shrugged it off. I'm not saying brown marmorated stink bugs haven't been seen in Oklahoma, because they probably have. However, I've never seen a single one anywhere on our land or in my garden and I am outside in the yard, garden and pastures every day. All I've ever seen here are the common everyday green stinkbugs and southern brown stinkbugs. So, on the scale of things I'm concerned about, this one is pretty far down on the list. I've had an occasional brown or green stinkbug loiter near the front or back door (often clinging to the door itself) as autumn cools, and I suspect they're hoping to come inside, but I just flick them off the door with my finger before I open it. If I lived in the northeastern part of the country where you have to fight a pitched battle to keep them out of your house every single fall, I'd be more concerned. Dawn