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Stink Bug Invasive Species Article

Stink bugs are damaging apple and peach crops in Maryland orchards. They were first noticed in 2010 and cause between 10-20% crop loss each year. The stink bugs are invasive and arrived in North America in the late 1990s. Extreme cold weather did not kill them off as they can survive winter by hiding in dead or rotting trees. Scientists are considering introducing natural stink bug predators like wasps to help control populations, but that may take years. For now farmers can only use pesticides to limit damage from the stink bugs.

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53 views

Stink Bug Invasive Species Article

Stink bugs are damaging apple and peach crops in Maryland orchards. They were first noticed in 2010 and cause between 10-20% crop loss each year. The stink bugs are invasive and arrived in North America in the late 1990s. Extreme cold weather did not kill them off as they can survive winter by hiding in dead or rotting trees. Scientists are considering introducing natural stink bug predators like wasps to help control populations, but that may take years. For now farmers can only use pesticides to limit damage from the stink bugs.

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In the U.S.

, stink bugs can do a lot of damage


By Capital News Service, adapted by Newsela staff
02.12.14

This is a close-up view of a brown marmorated stink bug.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. J.D. Rinehart has a problem in his orchard. Stink bugs are
damaging his apples and peaches.
Rinehart first noticed the problem five years ago. He saw brown spots on his
apples and peaches. Rinehart thought the fruit was low in calcium. But spraying
the fruit with calcium didnt help.
University of Maryland scientists cut open his fruit and examined it. Then it
became clear that the problem was stink bugs. The bugs are more damaging to
fruit than a lack of calcium. They are also more unpredictable.
Rinehart owns Rinehart Orchards in Maryland. He said stink bugs damage
between one tenth and one fifth of his crop every year.
They are a major, major issue in our orchards. Rinehart said. Its nothing that
you can take lightly.

"Surviving the Winter"


The stink bugs do not belong here. They came to North America in the late
1990s. The bugs caused bad damage in 2010 and 2011. Some Maryland growers
are still dealing with damage from stink bugs. The problem can almost ruin the
worth of a fruit crop, Rinehart said. But others have seen damage ease.
Stink bugs pierce fruit with their mouths and suck sugar out. The damage may
have decreased since 2010 and 2011. But theres no reason to believe the insect
is going away, said Gerry Brust. He is an expert in pest management.
Thats what insect populations do. It goes up, down, he said.
Even extreme weather won't get rid of the bugs. So the record low temperatures
in many parts of the nation this winter are not solving the problem.
Stink bugs can escape the cold by living in places like dead or rotting trees, said
Donald Weber. He studies bugs for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Theyre perfectly capable of surviving the winter, Weber said.

Scientists Test Samples


Rinehart said he has to look hard for stink bug damage. He can spray something
to keep the bugs away. The spray is safe for the fruit. But it also keeps away
insects that help the fruit.
Guy Moore is vice president at Larriland Farm. He said that stink bugs caused a
lot of damage in 2010 and 2011. But they did not cause significant damage
after that.
USDA scientists take samples of apples and peaches from his farm. They have
been able to help watch over the stink bug population. Moore hopes the stink
bugs will only be a small problem in the future.
Stink bugs have been in North America for a short period of time. Scientists
haven't had time to find out how their population changes, Weber said.
Weve only had a few years; theres a lot of other things that can happen, he
said. We had a big cold snap this year; maybe that does nothing to them. We
just dont know. The safe bet is theyre not going away."

Bringing In Predators
Some animals in the area are slowly starting to recognize stink bugs as food,
Weber said. Scientists are thinking about bringing in natural enemies to feed on
the stink bugs.
But that could take a long time. Introducing a stink bug enemy could take three
to five years. Scientists from the U.S., Canada and Mexico would have to agree
to let it happen, Weber said.
Tiny wasps could be the chosen enemy, Weber said. The wasps lay their eggs on
other insects eggs. Then the newly hatched wasps eat the eggs of their prey
including stink bugs.
Chemists have also made a copy of the stink bugs pheromones, or scent,
Weber said. Growers could use the fake scent. It would draw the insects away
from their fruit.
But for now, growers will have to continue to use short-term measures like
pesticides. Doing this can limit the damage.
In this business, you are at the mercy of nature. Stink bugs are something that
have definitely added to that and added in a very strong way, Rinehart said.
Yeah, stink bugs are a bummer, man.

Questions
1.) What caused the brown spots on the apples?
a) pesticides
b) stink bugs
c) cold weather
d) lack of calcium
2.) When did stink bugs first come to North America?
a) 2010
b) 2011
c) late 1990s
d) early 1990s

3.) People thought that cold weather would kill stink bugs. Why didnt this work?
a) The weather went up and down that year.
b) Stink bugs suck the sugar out of fruit.
c) The stink bugs went back home to warmer weather during the winter.
d) Stink bugs can escape the cold by living in dead or rotting trees
4.) How could wasps reduce the stink bug population?
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5.) What is the effect of using the stink bugs scent?
a) It attracts stink bugs to the fruit
b) It kills all of the stink bugs in the area
c) It keeps stink bugs away from the fruit
d) It destroys any fruit that contains the scent
6.) What do you think would be the best way to get rid of stink bugs? Why?
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