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                     Northwest Wildlife Online                    

by John M. Regan

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Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

John M. Regan

            The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug is in the news these days - and the news is not good.  With expected,  but perhaps deserved, press hyperbole the insect has bee labeled as a "megapest" due to its relatively sudden, widespread appearance, fecund breeding, and notorious ability to quite literally suck the life out of plants.  All of which we could tolerably live with except for the stink bug's appetite for fruits and vegetables.  The destruction is causes in the agricultural industry is extensive and growing according to reports.  The damage done to agricultural products is primarily cosmetic; they do not completely destroy the crop, but the scarring of the fruit, known in agricultural circles by the odd nickname "cat-facing" renders it unsightly and therefore unsalable.

            They are obviously call Stink Bugs for a reason - they stink!  Or at least they do when handled or attacked by a predator.  I wish I could tell what this oder smells like, but I must admit that although I have photographed these guys I have never molested one enough to provoke it to emit its notorious odor.  In fact, although I knew this particular insect was a stink bug due to its distinctive shield like shape I had no idea it was the evil Brown Marmorated species.  I was simply fascinated by the strange face like designs on its back.  The word "marmorated," by the way means "veined or streaked like marble." 

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