Stink Bug Alley

Talk about a bad stink bug; the brown marmorated stink bug – it has made quite a name for itself and has been called the most destructive, notorious, annoying, ugly etc stink bug. The name is quite a mouthful, I have had people calling it marmalade bug and other names I am not allowed to utter.  They are new in town and there are lots of them hanging out in downtown Kelowna and some alleys. This stink bug is bad news – it attacks more than 100 plants including tree fruit, grapes, vegetables, berries and ornamentals. They like tree of heaven, mountain ash, maple, honey locust, lilac, hazelnut, vegetables etc. which are in abundance in downtown Kelowna and the valley.

Brown marmorated stink bug is a very big concern for growers because it can cause serious damage to tree fruit, grapes and vegetables. It has caused millions of dollars in crop damage since it reared its ugly head in the United States and other areas.  It is originally from Asia and it is now present in the US, Europe and it keeps spreading.  It was first detected in Interior BC along the Penticton river channel in 2016.  

Brown marmorated stink bug adults are shield-shaped, have a marbled (marmorated – word of the day :)) appearance and the antennae have pronounced white bands.  The young ones are red and black when they hatch out and black with deep red markings as they get older.  Some of the young stages have white bands on the antennae and legs. Native brown stink bugs and western conifer seed bugs may be confused with brown marmorated stink bugs. 

Brown marmorated stink bugs are very good hitchhikers and can spread to new areas on vehicles. Apart from destroying crops, these stink bugs can be quite a nuisance when they try to find warm shelters for the winter and can be a homeowner’s worst nightmare.  Check out When twenty-six thousand stinkbugs invade your home (A very good read. Caution: not for the faint-hearted :)). 

Please get rid of any brown marmorated stink bugs you see. For more information on identifying and controlling this odious pest, see Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Pest Alert, Province of B.C.

Not all stink bugs are bad though. There are some species that feed on other bugs. I will cover some of the good stink bugs in another post. 

Young brown marmorated stink bugs on a fence post, shiny cotoneaster, sumac and firethorn. Kelowna, British Columbia. Photo credits: BC Ministry of Agriculture.

Brown marmorated stink bug adults and young will feed on their own eggs – not very smart on their part but good for us. They also feed on other insect eggs. We came across a young brown marmorated stink bug feasting on moth eggs on an iris leaf in Kelowna a few weeks ago.