Brown Marmorated Stink Bug . . . Let’s Not Forget About This One!

Dr. Doug Johnson

PRINCETON, KY.
    I have just been reminded by my colleague in Lexington that brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) continues to move and build in numbers in KY. BMSB was recently collected from soybeans in Fayette County KY, still in very low numbers, but in fact they are beginning to utilize one of our major field crops as a host/food source. If our sister state of Virginia is any indication, we can only expect that this will get worse.
    From specimen collections and those sent in for identification, we know that BMSB has been in KY since at least 2010 probably traveling to us down the I-64 corridor. The current known distribution in KY is shown in Figure 1. Conversely, in our three-year (2010-12) stinkbug survey in soybeans, we captured only two BMSB juveniles late in the season in Carter County.   Additionally, in black light trap surveys in Fayette County (UK North Farms) and Caldwell County (UK-Research & Education Center) no BMSB were collected in 2012 in either location and in 2013 none have been captured at either location through the time of this writing. Given this situation BMSB will probably not be an economic problem in field crops this year. Nonetheless, one can expect them to become more common over the course of years.




    Currently BMSBs in the Bluegrass appear to be making their move from host plants to overwintering sites. Dr. Ric Bessin,   Extension Entomologist located in Lexington, is seeing them cluster on the sides of buildings. This might be a good time for agricultural interests to gauge the presence of this pest. Anyone noticing large numbers of brown stink bugs (not orange & black or red & black bugs) congregated on  the sides of buildings is encouraged to collect some and either take them to their local   County Extension Office or send them to the UK Entomology Dept. in Lexington or the UK Research & Education Center in     Princeton, KY for identification. If you wish to send a photograph it is important to understand that we will need a clear, sharp picture of the antennae and upper rear side of the bug (Figure 2). We would also like to know when and where the bug was collected or the photo taken. This information will help us establish any changes in distribution and abundance of this pest in the Commonwealth.



    Given the current known distribution of BMSB in KY, it appears that the potential for infestation of grain crops will first come to eastern and central KY. We do know from our partner Land Grant Institutions in New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, and     Pennsylvania that this pest will infest both corn and soybeans, and may be expected to cause considerable trouble. In addition,   BMSB will attack a large variety of fruits and vegetables. So, field crop farmers will not be the only ones facing problems. Commercial fruit and vegetable producers and even home gardeners may suffer major damage from this pest.∆
DR. DOUG JOHNSON: Extension Entomologist, University of Kentucky