It’s become as sure a sign of spring as the chirp of a red-winged blackbird or the crack of a bat to start the baseball season.
Brown marmorated stink bugs are coming out of their dormant winter state in droves, while researchers at McMaster University and the Ministry of Agriculture continue their quest to figure out ways to control the invasive insect.
And while many homeowners are doing their best to get rid of the bug — known for its characteristic cilantro-like odour when threatened or crushed — a McMaster insect researcher is hoping to increase her collection.
“Temperatures are warming up, and they’re starting to come out of people’s attics,” says Rosa daSilva. “We’re trying to build a colony for research purposes and hoping people can help us out by dropping off stink bugs they find in their homes.”
She wants people to send her emails describing their stink bug discoveries and make arrangements to drop off living ones at the university.
DaSilva tried to establish a colony last year for research purposes. But after some initial success, the insects did not do well over the winter. She only has about 20 left now after peaking at several thousand last summer.
“They certainly are not easy to rear,” she says. “They are very sensitive. I’ve reared African locust, bloodsucking insects, ants, and certainly we had a lot more luck with them than we did with stink bugs.”
DaSilva is studying the stink bug’s immune system to see how they respond to various threats such as plant toxins.
Meanwhile, entomologist Hannah Fraser of with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs says monitoring stations across the province have shown steady increases in stink bug populations, especially in Hamilton, where they were first reported in Ontario three years ago.
She is especially focused on their migration into agricultural areas of the province. The bugs are voracious eaters that damage fruit, vegetable and ornamental crops. Crop damage has been extensive in parts of the U.S., but so far there are no reports in Ontario.
“The brown marmorated stink bug is a serious agricultural pest and we really appreciate everyone’s help in tracking populations in Ontario,” says Fraser.
Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs
• Hamilton was the first community in Ontario to officially detect the insect when a homeowner found one in 2012.
• Along with its cilantro-like smell, the bug is noted for its shield-like back, which is about the size of small fingernail.
• They are not a risk to health and don’t cause building damage. But they can cause major damage to crops.
Contacts
• To share information about stink bugs you have found and to arrange to drop off live bugs for her colony, email McMaster researcher Rosa daSilva at rosa.dasilva@mcmaster.ca
• To report stink bug sightings around your house, call the Agriculture information contact centre at 1-877-424-1300 or email them at ag.info.omafra@ontario.ca.
Insect presentation
On April 18, McMaster insect experts Marvin Gunderman and Rosa daSilva will talk about stink bugs and also feature specimens of unusual insects from the university’s biology department, 10:30 a.m. at the Sherwood Public Library on Upper Ottawa Street.
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