Stink Bugs Have the Potential to Devastate Agriculture

Scientists to Present New Information About Stink Bugs

March 17, 2011

Frederick Gazette - U.S. Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett thinks homeowners, gardeners and farmers are looking for help from above to end a plague of pests that is expected to be seen "in truly biblical proportions" this spring.

That is why he has organized a public meeting at Mount St. Mary's University on Friday, the main topic of which will be the all-too-common brown marmorated stink bug. But new information about potential tactics for thinning out the population won't come from the heavens.

Experts from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Virginia Tech University and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will speak at Friday's meeting, which Bartlett said is expected to draw a large crowd.

Because the pests have affected everyone, Bartlett said the meeting is open to all who want to attend.

"There's nobody who doesn't know about stink bugs in our area," said Bartlett (R-Dist. 6) of Buckeystown.

The last time Bartlett had a meeting about stink bugs was last fall. He has been vocal about the bug issue since learning of it last summer. Among other things, he organized a briefing about the invasive species for members of Congress and congressional staff by environmental and agricultural specialists.

Although the stink bug infestation still "has the potential to just devastate our agriculture," scientists have learned a lot about their patterns and habits since the fall, Bartlett said.

The stink bug is native to Eastern Asia and was first collected in the U.S. in Allentown, Pa., in 1998, according to the USDA website.

Agriculture officials within Frederick County say the insect has no natural predators in the U.S., and has taken a serious toll on regional crops.

"It's probably easier to list which crops it does not affect," said Stan Fultz of the Frederick University of Maryland Extension Office in December.

Anything that is not an early spring crop, such as wheat, barley or rye, is open to compromise by the creatures, Fultz said.

Robert Black, owner of Catoctin Mountain Orchard in Thurmont, said parts of his property have been used as a test site by USDA scientists. They have been using his land to conduct evaluations of how stink bugs have progressed in the area. They are doing similar research on other farms in Maryland and neighboring states, he said.

Black had up to 50 percent damage on some of his orchards from stink bugs last year, he said.

"I don't want twice that much for this coming year," he added.

On Tuesday, he had entomologists mapping his farm, deciding where to take experimental measures against the bugs when they start coming out of hiding in the spring.

"They're looking at every single thing you can imagine," Black said, including traps that use pheromones to lure the bugs toward them.

He considers his position as a test farm owner a good one because he "can be right there with [the research]" the scientists are conducting.

Still, he plans to attend Friday morning's meeting.

"[The stink bugs] are going to come back with a vengeance this year," he said.

Bartlett's meeting will be from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday in Knott Auditorium on the Mount St. Mary's University campus, 16300 Old Emmitsburg Road, Emmitsburg. To reserve a space, call 301-694-3030.

Read More...