Something Stinks!

By Sam

I hoped you’re not “bugged” that I am writing about the same thing in two SciBlog posts, but my most recent entry about bed bugs got me thinking… You know what else stinks? Stink bugs! They seem to be crawling all over Maryland this year. Just what we need… new bugs.

Stink bugs, or more scientifically, the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Halyomorpha halys) come to us from Asia (probably in shipping containers) and are multiplying very rapidly throughout the mid-Atlantic. The bugs laid their eggs over the summer, and now that the weather is getting colder, they’re looking for a place to hang out. They creep inside our houses through any opening – window sills, cracks near doors and vents. The bugs like to eat fruits, vegetables, trees and shrubs, and are completely harmless to humans. They don’t bite or sting.

But they sure do smell! When they are crushed, the reek like smelly, sweaty feet. (The smell is a defense mechanism against birds and mammals.)

The Extension services of the state universities in Maryland and Pennsylvania have some good information about these pesky pests and the Washington Post and ABC News have good advice on how to get rid of them.