The brown marmorated stink bug is not native to North America.
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In the Northeast, stink bugs have been increasingly showing up in gardens during warm weather and causing damage to ornamental plants, vegetables and fruit trees. The stink bug feeds by piercing the host plant and sucking out the juices with its proboscis, which can damage the affected plant. During cold weather, these stink bugs enter our homes and become a huge problem.
The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, which is not native to North America, came over from China and Japan years ago. These stink bugs have multiplied to the point that plagues have become commonplace in some residential homes; however, they are relatively harmless to humans.
According to the Penn State Extension Service, the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, is an insect that previously hadn’t been seen on our continent but was thought to have been accidentally introduced into eastern Pennsylvania. This bug was first collected in September of 1998, in Allentown; however, its arrival was probably several years earlier. As of September 2010, the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug had been recorded in 37 counties, and by now, it could possibly be in all counties.
In Pennsylvania, this species probably has a single generation per year, depending on the temperatures. Warm spring and summer conditions could permit the development of two or three generations. However, in parts of sub-tropical China, records indicate there could be from four to six generations per year. Adults will emerge sometime in the spring of the year (late April to mid-May); mate and then deposit eggs from May through August. The eggs hatch into small black and red nymphs that go through five molts. Adults begin to search for over-wintering sites starting in September through the middle of October.
The stink bug’s name comes from the scent glands on the underside of its thorax, between the first and second pair of legs.
If the bug is squashed, a foul smell is emitted, which is used to ward off would-be-predators.
Stink bugs prefer to over winter inside the walls of our homes. In the fall, the bugs seek entry to homes and buildings to beat the cold. They can congregate almost anywhere, including bookcases; under beds and sofas; in cracks under or behind baseboards; window and door trims and in attics. These pests will not cause structural damage or reproduce in homes. However, once established they are hard to eradicate.
Nether do they bite people nor pets. Although stink bugs are not known to transmit diseases or cause physical harm, some people could be sensitive to pest allergens.
The best method to keep stink bugs from entering homes and buildings is to fill cracks, with good quality silicone latex caulking, around windows, doors, siding, utility pipes, behind chimneys, underneath the wood fascia and other openings.
Although aerosol-type foggers will kill stink bugs that have amassed on ceilings and walls in living areas, the flogger will not prevent more of the insects from emerging shortly after the room is aerated. For this reason, use of these materials is not considered a good solution to long-term management of the problem. Spraying insecticides into cracks and crevices will not prevent the bugs from emerging and is not a viable or recommended treatment.
I remember seeing vans, in the Lancaster area, advertising that their company could rid your home of stink bugs. Whether that worked or not, I have no idea. However, if the points of entrance are not blocked, the stink bugs will return in the fall.