Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

Fascinating facts about the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

• 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. Eggs are normally laid on the underside of leaves in masses of 28 eggs, and a female can lay 400 eggs in her lifetime.
• In 2010, in the Mid-Atlantic United States, $37 million in apple crops were lost, and some stone fruit growers lost more than 90% of their crops. Those staggering losses came from the bug's habit of piercing fruit and injecting saliva that rots the interior, turning marketable produce into waste. The economic hit shows how a single invasive bug can cripple high-value orchards and ripple through regional food supplies.
• In warmer climates, multiple generations can occur annually, which can range from two generations in states such as Virginia to six generations in California, Arizona, Florida, Louisiana, Georgia, and Texas. As of November 2011, it had spread to 34 U.S. states and by 2012 to 40, with a 60% increase in total numbers over 2011. The ability to squeeze several life cycles into one year fuels its swift geographic expansion.
• In China, Trissolcus japonicus, a parasitoid wasp species in the family Scelionidae, is a primary predator. Arguably the most important of the natural enemies is the samurai wasp (Trissolcus japonicus). These wasps lay their eggs inside stink-bug eggs, halting the next generation before it hatches. Harnessing this native predator offers a biologically based tool to curb the bug's spread without heavy pesticide use.
• In September 1998, it was collected in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where it is believed to have been accidentally introduced. The first documented specimen was collected in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in September 1998.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

In the warm, golden light of autumn, the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug emerges as a master of stealth, its mottled brown carapace blending seamlessly into the rustic landscape as it navigates the intricate network of tree bark and leaf litter with deliberate, unhurried ease. With a curious, almost languid gait, it moves through the world, its slender legs carrying it effortlessly across vast distances in search of sustenance and shelter, leaving behind a trail of subtle, pungent scent that betrays its presence to the discerning observer. As it settles into the crevices and cracks of its winter refuge, the stink bug's remarkable ability to thrive in a wide range of environments is a testament to its unyielding adaptability and resilience.

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