Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

The brown marmorated stink bug is a species of insect that is native to China or Japan but has been accidentally introduced to North America and Europe. Adult stink bugs are approximately 1.7 cm long and have a dark brown color with a creamy white-brown underside. They emit a pungent odor as a defense mechanism and their body fluids can be toxic to humans. The stink bugs are invasive pests that have rapidly spread across many regions in the United States and Europe, causing damage to crops. Biological control programs, such as the introduction of a parasitoid wasp species, have been implemented to manage their populations. In addition to agricultural areas, these bugs also invade homes during the fall and overwinter inside structures.

Description

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Adult brown marmorated stink bugs are approximately 1.7 cm (0.67 in) long and about as wide, forming the heraldic shield shape characteristic of bugs in the superfamily Pentatomoidea. They are generally a dark brown when viewed from above, with a creamy white-brown underside. Individual coloration may vary, with some bugs being various shades of red, grey, light brown, copper, or black. The term “marmorated” means variegated or veined, like marble, which refers to the markings unique to this species, including alternating light-colored bands on the antennae and alternating dark bands on the thin outer edge of the abdomen. The legs are brown with faint white mottling or banding.The nymph stages are black or very dark brown, with red integument between the sclerites. First instar nymphs have no white markings, but second through fifth instar nymphs have black antennae with a single white band. The legs of nymphs are black with varying amounts of white banding. Freshly molted individuals of all stages are pale white with red markings. Eggs are normally laid on the underside of leaves in masses of 28 eggs, and are light green when laid, gradually turning white.Like all stink bugs, the glands that produce the defensive chemicals (the smell) are located on the underside of the thorax, between the first and second pair of legs.

Behavior

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The odor from the stink bug is due to trans-2-decenal and trans-2-octenal. The smell has been characterized as a “pungent odor that smells like coriander.” The stink bug’s ability to emit an odor through holes in its abdomen is a defense mechanism evolved to prevent it from being eaten by birds and lizards. However, simply handling the bug, injuring it, or attempting to move it can trigger it to release the odor. Reports on human cases are rare, but the stink bug’s body fluids are toxic and irritating to the human skin and eyes. One case of keratitis has been reported in Taiwan.

In North America

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The brown marmorated stink bug was accidentally introduced into the United States from China or Japan. It is believed to have hitched a ride as a stowaway in packing crates or on various types of machinery. The first documented specimen was collected in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in September 1998. Several Muhlenberg College students were reported to have seen these bugs as early as August of that same year. Between 2001 and 2010, 54 sightings were reported of these bugs at shipping ports in the United States. However, stink bugs are not listed as reportable, meaning that they do not need to be reported and no action is required to remove the insect. This allowed the insect to enter the United States relatively easily, as they are able to survive long periods of time in hot or cold conditions. Other reports have the brown marmorated stink bug documented as early as 2000 in New Jersey from a blacklight trap run by the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Vegetable Integrated Pest Management program in Milford, New Jersey.In 2002, in New Jersey, it was found on plant material in Stewartsville, and was collected from blacklight traps in Phillipsburg and Little York. It was quickly documented and established in many counties in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Connecticut, and New York on the eastern coast of the United States. By 2009, this agricultural pest had reached Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois, and Oregon. In 2010 it was found in Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, and other states.As of November 2011, it had spread to 34 U.S. states and by 2012 to 40, and showed an increase of 60% in total numbers over 2011. Their populations have also spread to southern Ontario and Quebec, Canada. They have recently been found in southern British Columbia and Southern Alberta.

In Europe

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The brown marmorated stink bug was likely first introduced to Europe during the repair work of the Chinese Garden in Zürich, Switzerland in the winter of 1998. The stink bug has been traced back to have traveled with roof tiles that were imported from Beijing, China. The bug has since spread rapidly through Europe. The first sighting in southern Germany was made in Konstanz in 2011. In Italy the first specimens were found in Modena in 2012 and afterwards in South Tirol in 2016. The bug has also been sighted in Vienna, Austria, with increasing reports after 2016. The Italian region of Friuli Venezia Giulia announced from 2017 to distribute 3.5 million euros to offset the costs of the lost crops of the fruit farmers until the year 2020. H. halys was first found in Portugal in Pombal in late 2018 or early 2019 - a few live specimens were found in agricultural equipment being imported from Italy. However the Portuguese National Authority for Animal Health regards this as a transitory interception. In 2019, there may have been another sighting somewhere in Portugal. In 2018 arrived to the Basque Country, where the population grew rapidly by October 2023. Only in 2020 was H. halys confirmed to be reproducing and overwintering in the country. In March 2021, it was confirmed to have arrived in the UK.

Predators

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In China, Trissolcus japonicus, a parasitoid wasp species in the family Scelionidae, is a primary predator.In the United States, Europe, and New Zealand, Trissolcus japonicus is a focus of biological control programs against the brown marmorated stink bug. This wasp was under study in the United States since 2007 for biosafety of possible introduction. However, in 2014, two adventive populations were found in the United States during surveys to identify which North American parasitoids might be attacking brown marmorated stink bug. Subsequent genetic testing showed these wild populations were self-introduced: they were not related to each other, or to a laboratory strain being studied in quarantine. Since then, several agricultural authorities have begun programs to augment wild populations with releases of laboratory reared wasps. An adventive European population was discovered during similar surveys in Switzerland in 2017.Several parasitoids and predators indigenous to North America and Europe have been reported to attack stink bug eggs, nymphs and adults. Researchers have also experimented with other predators like the spotted lady beetle, the spined soldier bug and the common green lacewing, whereby the latter consumed most of the eggs of these tested species. Other research investigated different spider species, as well as the wheel bug Arilus cristatus. Several spider species attacked both the eggs and adult stink bugs. The Joro spider, another invasive Asian species, was identified in Georgia in 2015, and is a natural predator of the stink bug. Pill bugs eat stink bug eggs. Arilus cristatus, however, was the most voracious predator and attacked the eggs and adults more consistently.

In houses and structures

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The brown marmorated stink bug is more likely to invade homes in the fall than others in the family. The bug survives the winter as an adult by entering houses and structures when autumn evenings become colder, often in the thousands. In one home, more than 26,000 stinkbugs were found overwintering. Adults can live from several months to a year. They enter under siding, into soffits, around window and door frames, chimneys, or any space which has openings big enough to fit through. Once inside the house, they go into a state of hibernation. They wait for winter to pass, but often the warmth inside the house causes them to become active, and they may fly clumsily around light fixtures. Two important vectors of this pest are the landscape ornamentals tree of heaven and princess tree.

See also

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Stink bug Acrosternum hilare, the green stink bug Megacopta cribraria, the kudzu bug Nezara viridula, the southern green stink bug Oebalus pugnax, the rice stink bug

Further reading

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Khrimian, Ashot; Shearer, Peter W.; Zhang, Aijun; Hamilton, George C.; Aldrich, Jeffrey R. (2008). “Field Trapping of the Invasive Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, Halyomorpha halys, with Geometric Isomers of Methyl 2,4,6-Decatrienoate”. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 56 (1): 197–203. doi:10.1021/jf072087e. PMID 18069789. Funayama, Ken (2004). “Importance of apple fruits as food for the brown-marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stal) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae)”. Applied Entomology and Zoology. 39 (4): 617–623. doi:10.1303/aez.2004.617. Nielsen, Anne L.; Hamilton, George C. (2009). “Life History of the Invasive Species Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in Northeastern United States”. Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 102 (4): 608. doi:10.1603/008.102.0405. Aldrich, J. R.; Khrimian, A.; Chen, X.; Camp, M. J. (2009). “Semiochemically Based Monitoring of the Invasion of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug and Unexpected Attraction of the Native Green Stink Bug (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) in Maryland”. Florida Entomologist. 92 (3): 483. doi:10.1653/024.092.0310. Toyama, Masatoshi; Ihara, Fumio; Yaginuma, Katsuhiko (2006). “Formation of aggregations in adults of the brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae): The role of antennae in short-range locations”. Applied Entomology and Zoology. 41 (2): 309. doi:10.1303/aez.2006.309. Nielsen, Anne L.; Shearer, Peter W.; Hamilton, George C. (2008). “Toxicity of Insecticides to Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) Using Glass-Vial Bioassays”. Journal of Economic Entomology. 101 (4): 1439–42. doi:10.1603/0022-0493(2008)101[1439:TOITHH]2.0.CO;2. PMID 18767758. S2CID 574512. Lee, Wonhoon; Kang, Joongnam; Jung, Chansik; Hoelmer, Kim; Lee, Si Hyeock; Lee, Seunghwan (2009). “Complete mitochondrial genome of brown marmorated stink bug Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), and phylogenetic relationships of hemipteran suborders”. Molecules and Cells. 28 (3): 155–65. doi:10.1007/s10059-009-0125-9. PMID 19756390. S2CID 1378484. Yang, Zhong-Qi; Yao, Yan-Xia; Qiu, Lan-Fen; Li, Zhong-Xin (2009). “A New Species of Trissolcus (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) Parasitizing Eggs of Halyomorpha halys (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) in China with Comments on Its Biology”. Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 102: 39–47. doi:10.1603/008.102.0104. S2CID 55288032. “Plant Pest Factsheet - Brown Marmorated Stink Bug - Halyomorpha halys” (PDF). Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), UK Gov. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 1, 2019. Retrieved March 2, 2021.

External links

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Wikibooks: Halyomorpha halys Stink bug fact sheet (Penn State Fact Sheet on the brown marmorated stink bug) Brown marmorated stink bug on the UF/IFAS Featured Creatures Web site Brown marmorated stink bug in Oregon, Oregon State University Brown marmorated stink bug at Invasive.org (a joint project of The Bugwood Network, USDA Forest Service and USDA APHIS PPQ) Species Profile- Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Halyomorpha halys), National Invasive Species Information Center, United States National Agricultural Library. (lists general information and resources for brown marmorated stink bug) Brown marmorated stink bug: protection and response (information and fact sheet from the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries) StopBMSB.org — information about the management of brown marmorated stink bug in U.S. specialty crops, supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Specialty Crop Research Initiative.