Where Is BMSB?
|As of June 2014, BMSB had been detected in 41 states and two Canadian provinces. Source: T. Leskey, USDA ARS.|
Brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) has been found in 41 states and two Canadian provinces. It has caused greatest crop damage in the mid-Atlantic region. Find out where it’s been detected in each state or, if you believe you’ve found BMSB in your area, report the finding to specialists in your state. Researchers can determine whether a finding is truly BMSB, and they can use your data to track the presence of the pest.
BMSB isn’t a picky eater. Agricultural commodity groups are working with researchers to document BMSB populations in orchard crops, small fruit, grapes, vegetables, and ornamental plants throughout each growing season. BMSB specialists are also studying the pest’s presence in wooded areas and structures to get a sense of where it spends its winters.
Entomologists have been observing which plants BMSB typically uses for food and reproduction in its new environment.
Landscape factors, such as woodlands, structures, roads and different land use types affect the spread of BMSB. Furthermore, BMSB may move into agricultural areas from woods and buildings and then leave again. The insect overwinters near farmland in homes, office buildings and warehouses. BMSB also attacks a wide range of host plants. Scientists are just beginning to understand how landscape factors will be key in the stink bug defense.