PEST 411
Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
Look for this landscape pest in spring and summer by Fawad Z. A. Khan and Shimat V. Joseph, University of Georgia The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB)
UAC MAGAZINE | SPRING 2021
Halyomorpha halys Stål (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae; Fig. 1) is a landscape and agricultural pest in the U.S. It was introduced from Asia to the U.S. in the mid-1990s. The BMSB's quickly spread to the entire U.S. because of overwintering and hitchhiking behavior in the fall. The Ken Childs, Bugguide.net early detection and Fig 1. Adult stage of brown marmorated stink distribution mapping bug (Halyomorpha halys) (Stal) system (EDDMapS) shows 95 positive reports throughout Georgia and is established in the piedmont region of the state. This pest is reported to infest more than 170 plant species, including fruits, vegetables,
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Illustration by Fawad Khan
Fig 2. Life cycle of brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) (Stal)
and ornamental plants. The BMSB is also a nuisance pest as they aggregate and overwinter in man-made structures beginning late fall.
Biology and behavior The BMSB overwinter (diapause) as adults, and they do not feed during this time. In spring, they emerge from the overwintering sites and seek immediate nutritional resources from developing flower and fruits before laying eggs. The BMSB undergoes three life stages: egg, nymphs (five nymphal instars), and adult (Fig. 2). The BMSB female lays eggs in a mass with about 28 eggs. A female can lay between 2 and 15 egg masses during the lifetime. The light yellow to light green barrel-shaped eggs are glued to the host's surface (leaf, fruit, stem) (Fig. 3). The first instars have an oval- and tick-like appearance with mottled orangish-red and black coloration and remain aggregated around the egg mass (Fig. 4). The subsequent instars disperse seeking nutritional resources. The second to fifth instar nymphs are black and white-colored and have well-defined white bands on legs and antennae (Fig. 5). In the laboratory, the nymphs take about 43 days to grow before molting into adults. The adults are grey-brownish and shieldshaped with two white bands on antennae and mottled white and black stripes along the lower
Yurika Alexander, Bugguide.net
Fig 3. Eggs of brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) (Stal)
