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Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

Scientific Name

Halyomorpha halys Stål (ITIS)

Common Name

Brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB)

Native To

East Asia (Gariepy et al. 2014)

Date of U.S. Introduction

First confirmed in 2001 in Allentown, Pennsylvania, but specimens were collected as early as 1996 (Khrimian et al. 2008)

Means of Introduction

Possibly arrived in shipping material (Gariepy et al. 2014)

Impact

Feeds on a variety of plants, including fruit trees, ornamentals, and some crops (Gariepy et al. 2014)

Brown marmorated stink bug
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Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, Adult

Credit

Photo by Susan Ellis

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Spotlights

  • To Deal With The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, ARS Scientists Bring In Its Arch Enemy

    • Oct 2021
    • USDA. ARS. Tellus.

    • A tiny wasp may be the solution for managing an agricultural pest causing major economic damage to fruit, vegetable, and field crops in North America and Europe. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists are currently studying Trissolcus japonicus, commonly known as the samurai wasp, to see if this parasitoid wasp is the right biological control agent for reducing brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) (BMSB) populations outside of Asia. Biological control is the process of reducing or mitigating pests or pathogens by using the pest’s or pathogen’s natural enemies. The samurai wasp is a known natural enemy for the BMSB in Asia, and researchers are understanding how it behaves in non-native environments.

  • Climate Change Impacts on Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

    • United States Department of Agriculture. USDA Climate Hubs.

    • The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys, originally from East Asia, is an invasive pest that is present throughout much of the United States. It is attracted to the outside of houses on warm fall days in search of overwintering sites and can enter houses in large numbers. The brown marmorated stink bug is also a serious economic threat to fruit crops, garden vegetables, and many ornamentals. In a changing climate, agricultural losses from insect pests like BMSB are expected to increase.

      USDA ARS scientists are fighting back by developing traps, sequencing the bug’s genome, and testing parasitic wasps as biocontrols. Midwest Climate Hub research fellow, Dr. Erica Kistner-Thomas is contributing to that fight through modeling the potential distribution and abundance of BMSB under future climate scenarios using a bioclimatic niche model. For more on Erica’s work, see: Climate Change Impacts on the Potential Distribution and Abundance of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) With Special Reference to North America and Europe.

  • Monitoring for the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

    • Rutgers University. New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station.

    • The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) is a significant nuisance for homeowners and can be devasting for farmers. Learn how to identify BMSB and how to report a sighting of BMSB (in all U.S. states/territories and several countries).

  • Stop Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB)

    • Northeastern Integrated Pest Management Center. Stop BMSB.

    • This initiative includes more than 50 researchers from 10 institutions across the U.S. working together on this project team. The team of researchers has mobilized to form a defense against the invasive pest brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB). The project team is working to find management solutions for growers, seeking strategies that will protect our food, our environment, and our farms.

Distribution / Maps / Survey Status

Videos

  • Stop BMSB - Video Series

    • Northeastern Integrated Pest Management Center. Stop BMSB.

    • "Tracking the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug" shows growers and others how to identify BMSB, why this pest is important in agriculture, and what's at stake if we don't stop it. Also includes new videos to address recent developments in monitoring, trapping, management, and biological control.

  • YouTube - Here come the stink bugs...

    • Google. YouTube; Smithsonian Institute.

  • YouTube - Luring Stink Bugs to Their Doom

    • Google. YouTube; USDA. Agricultural Research Service.

Selected Resources

The section below contains highly relevant resources for this species, organized by source.

Council or Task Force
Partnership
Federal Government
International Government
State and Local Government
Academic
Citations