The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

Overview

A native pest of Asia, was first identified in North America in Pennsylvania in 2001. It has since spread throughout the Mid-Atlantic States and is present in California, Oregon and Washington.

Damage

Both adults and nymphs feed by inserting their mouthparts into the flesh of fruit or vegetables. Feeding punctures result in small dead areas on fruit, vegetables and leaves. Stink bugs can be a contamination issue for grapes because the presence of a few adults at crush can taint wine.

Insect

The adults are brown, about 13 to 17 mm long, and can be distinguished from other brown stink bugs by the presence of distinctive white bands on the antennae and their tendency to cluster together in groups. Egg: Spherical, white or pale green, 1.6 x 1.3 mm; laid in clusters of 20 – 30 eggs on the underside of leaves. Immature (nymph): There are 5 immature stages ranging in size from 2.4 – 12 mm long. All nymphs are teardrop or pear-shaped. Nymphs do not have wings. 1st instar nymphs are bright orange to red in colour; Second instar nymphs are dark grey to black; later instars are dark grey to brown with white markings on abdomen and legs and white bands on last two antennal segments. Diseases Of Concern Not In BC