Latest WI Pest: Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

The hits just keep coming, in the form of more unwanted six-legged visitors whose real home is across the waters.

A tide of persistent insects has washed over our Durham neighborhood Pewaukee and Wisconsin in the past two decades: the emerald ash borer and gypsy moth to name a few. All are resident to foreign countries. All have caused environmental and economic mayhem in the U.S., where no natural predators exist to control them.

The latest invader winging its way here will literally make a smell.

The brown marmorated stink bug is ¾-inch long, with a wide back side that tapers to a point, and a rectangular head with long antennae. Native to China and east Asia, the insect has been migrating west since being first discovered in Pennsylvania in 2001.

Its name is well-earned. When disturbed or crushed, the brown marmorated stink bug emits a strong, pungent you'd invite into your Durham house, right?

Fortunately, the brown marmorated insect hasn't arrived in great numbers in Durham or WI. Stink bug control isn't much of an issue yet. Yet it's only a matter of time.

Farmers dislike them for more than their odor. The stink bug feed on tree fruits, vegetables, sweet corn and soybeans. Mid-Atlantic apple growers sustained an estimated $37 million in crop losses in 2010 to marmorated stink bugs.

The Asian invasive has a family member that is native to the United States. The brown stink bug looks a lot like the brown marmorated version, except the colors of their undersides are different. We somehow doubt you'll get that far identifying them, though.

Brown marmorated stink bugs like to winter inside Durham homes. If you step on one, you'll figure it out quickly. The nose knows. If you see more in your Durham house or yard, don't crush them – contact The Mosquito Guy to address their presence in a safe, non-stinky fashion.  Unlike these insects, we'll never stink up your joint.

Getting Rid of The Unwanted Insect: Brown Marmorated Stink Bug near Durham, WI