Adult, top, and nymph brown marmorated stink bugs (Halyomorpha halys), winged invaders from Asia that are eating crops and infesting U.S. homes, are spreading and have been spotted in Georgia.HOW TO HELPRick Hoebeke asks homeowners who find what they think are brown marmorated stink bugs to send him a photo or even freeze a bug and mail it to his lab. Email photos to rhoebeke@uga.edu. Ship specimens in a crush-proof container to E.R. Hoebeke, Collection of Arthropods, Georgia Museum of Natural History, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602.STINK BUG FACTS• Color: A dark mottled brown, with black and white spotted antennae• Size: About half an inch• Origin: Asian native, sometimes called the yellow-brown or East Asian stink bug• In U.S.: First identified in Allentown, Pa., in 2001, but could have been in the area since 1996. Could have entered the country as stowaways in packing crates.• Food: All types of fruits, especially apples, pears, peaches and berries
Whatever you do, don’t squash it.
That’s the advice experts have for Georgia homeowners who encounter the brown marmorated stink bug as it scurries into cozy attics to wait out the winter.
This stink bug is known to release a pungent odor that can be as foul as a skunk or spicy like cilantro. The pests have been spotted recently in the Peach State for the first time. Crawling through cracks and under siding, the bugs build nests and can cost homeowners hundreds of dollars to dislodge.
“It can establish nests by the thousands,” said Rick Hoebeke, a University of Georgia entomologist.