Stink Bugs: Attacking Orchards, Invading Harrison Homes

Again this year, bugs are doing damage in New York’s orchards.

Cornell University scientists said in September that the counties of Dutchess, Orange, and Ulster with a few sites in Columbia are at greatest risk. ”Scouting in Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Honeycrisp, Ruby Frost and Pink Lady should be ongoing through harvest. Thus far, the red delicious appear to have suffered the largest losses from SB feeding injury.”

What’s their other favorite place? Your house. Stink bugs are coming inside to find walls and crevices in which to overwinter.

But stop! Before you flush that bug, snap a photo.

Scientists at the Cornell laboratory in Highland, NY are asking for help tracking the stink bug’s spread across New York:

Use your IPhone to photograph and e-mail your sighting. This method is quick and easy! Take the best close-up photo you can and email it to bmsbproject@cornell.edu. The image will let us identify what species it is and the embedded GPS location in the IPhone photo will allow us to map your specimen’s location.

The Hudson Valley region, Metropolitan NY and Long Island are the leading edge of the population expansion, according to the Cornell scientists.

The little bugs are only about the size of pumpkin seeds, but they cause a big stink when crushed. Thank Asia for that.

The Brown Marmorated Stinkbug (Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is an invasive species that made its way from Asia to North America and was first officially documented in Allentown, PA in 2001 .

“Increasing population density has been observed within the entire Hudson Valley south of Albany and suburban Syracuse area, lower density in and around Buffalo, yet present in urban environs and agricultural regions including the western tree fruit and grape growing regions, finger lake grape and vegetable production areas and Hudson Valley tree fruit and grape growing region south to NYC,” said Peter Jentsch, Senior Extension Associate at Cornell’s Hudson Valley Laboratory.

By the way, a stink bug’s ability to emit an odor through holes in its abdomen is a defense mechanism, meant to prevent it from being eaten by birds and lizards. Simply handling the bug, injuring it, or attempting to move it can trigger it to release the odor.

A group of researchers from Virginia Tech has conducted a study and found that you really don’t need a fancy contraption to get rid of them.

All you need is a pan of water and a light to attract them to their doom, according to a new study out by Virginia Tech:

1. A large pan (an aluminum foil one if you want to toss it, because honestly, who wants to reuse a pan that’s had bugs floating in it?).
2. Water and dish soap
3. A light to attract the bugs

The Virginia Tech team has proven that homemade, inexpensive stink bug traps crafted from simple household items outshine pricier models designed to kill the invasive, annoying bugs, according to a news release from the university.

Researchers from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences found that the best way to get rid of the little buggers? Just fill a foil roasting pan with water and dish soap and put a light over the pan to attract the bugs in a dark room.

The trap eliminated 14 times more stink bugs than store-bought traps that cost up to $50, the study found. The only price of the homemade model is the cost of a roasting pan, dish soap, and a light — all which homeowners may already own.