The inexorable march of the brown marmorated stink bug
Posted June 7, 2016 8:13 am.
Last Updated June 7, 2016 9:24 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – It’s small, it’s hungry and if you squish it, it stinks!
Biologists are tracking the invasive and damaging brown marmorated stink bug as it makes its way toward BC through Washington State, posing a risk to fruit and vegetable crops, vineyards and even breweries reliant on local hops.
“It’s on our watchlist in British Columbia, though there are no known infestations here yet,” says Tracey Hueppelsheuser with the BC Ministry of Agriculture.
“We are in full surveillance mode and we are asking the public to keep an eye out.”
The brown marmorated stink bug was first identified in North America in Pennsylvania in 2001 and it has been spotted in areas near the BC border, but Hueppelsheuser says the closest established populations are in southern Washington.
“It does get intercepted from time to time in BC in transportation corridors or at industrial sites where they are moving goods,” she tells NEWS 1130.
The insect feeds on the green tissue of many plants and can cause blemishes or distortions in growth for fruits and vegetables, making them non-marketable. There are also concerns for vineyards and hop growers.
“If you have stink bugs in your harvested product and they are crushed, you can effect the flavour of the beer or the wine,” says Hueppelsheuser.
That stink is also an annoyance for home owners.
“The brown marmorated stink bug over-winters in woody areas and in people’s homes. That’s where it’s usually first noted in a new location in the fall. It could show up anywhere but we’d expect to see it first in an urban area.”
If you think you have spotted one of the invasive stink bugs in your home, you’re being urged to take a photograph and report it.
“There are several stink bugs and look-a-like species in BC, but this one is about one centimetre in size, it’s brown on it top side and brown or grey on its bottom side,” explains Hueppelsheuser.
She says they welcome all emails and phone calls.
In the Lower Mainland, contact Hueppelsheuser at (604) 556-3031 or Tracy.Hueppelsheuser@gov.bc.ca.
In the Southern Interior, you can contact the Minstry of Agriculture’s Susanna Acheampong at (250) 861-7681 or Susanna.Acheampong@gov.bc.ca.
