A foul smelling insect has come to Long Island and those living on the east end can expect their infestation. The insect is called the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug. The name alone is a perfect explanation of what the bug does. The odor that emanates from it is so strong, once you get it on your hand, it will take hours to clean off.
Claire Reisart, a Wantagh resident, told CBS news she finds them all over her home. They burrowed in her screens, rested on doors, and found their way to laundry baskets. The bugs have even infested her raspberry plants.
“As soon as I put the raspberry in my mouth I knew a stink bug had been on the raspberry. You just spit it out. It’s so awful tasting,” she said.
Once nymphs and eggs are buried within fruits and crops they end up destroying the plants.
The stink bug’s life span is about a year and with winter quickly approaching, they’re looking to keep warm inside of our homes. Master gardeners at Cornell Cooperative Extension warn homeowners to seal cracks, close screens and windows, and check chimney flumes.
Once inside the stink bug will multiply and lay up 20 to 30 eggs at a time. By the time that happens the foul stench will become almost impossible to escape. If you find one your best option is to trap it and throw it outside. Crushing it only releases the vomit inducing stink at full force. If the stink bug isn’t quickly removed from your home they’ll end up dying indoors and producing that horrible smell.
PestWorld.Org says the Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs invaded the United States in 1996 when they made their way from Asia to Pennsylvania. Certain species of ants and beetles also have that distinct foul characteristic -although none rival the stink bug. Other than the smell the bugs aren’t harmful to humans. They are only a danger to crops and plants. Stink bugs don’t bite or spread disease. At it’s worst the bug is just a terrible nuisance.
[Source: Pestworld.Org, CBS]
Photo Courtesy of StinkBugControl.Net
Video Courtesy of Animal Planet YouTube Page