If you ask anyone in Ann Arbor, or the rest of the country for that matter, what they think of Stink Bugs, they will usually react in disgust and recall how annoying these creatures act. Whether it is seeking refuge in people’s homes once winter approaches or unleashing a horrid smell when they feel threatened, Stink Bugs are generally seen as gross and invasive. These very annoying aspects of the Stink Bug, however, is the very reason they have covered so much of the globe and remain such a highly populated species of insect.
Stink Bugs are not native to any part of the United States, let alone Ann Arbor. The creatures are originally from continental Asia and began populating the United States around the mid 1990s from most likely nesting on large cargo ships. Stink Bugs have generally been really disruptive and threatening to the agricultural and food networks of American farmers. They eat several kinds of fruit and vegetables, and once they interact with any of the food, it is usually left unable to be placed on the market. What makes it worse is that damage done by Stink Bugs is only idenitfable after intense visual inspections, which often leaves farmers only discovering their crops have been damaged long after the fact.
At the eve of winter, Stink Bugs will pose a threat to homes that is similar to Termites. Wall support, furniture, and other connectors in homes are vulnerable to severe damage from Stink Bugs once they have inhabited a home. Hundreds of Stink Bugs commonly will nest in a home and severely damage its infrastructure.
In order to deal with Stink Bugs, scientists have considered introducing its primary predators into more US ecosystems. Hornets and wasps from Asia have been the primary candidates, but more importantly, these new suggestions from the scientists raise questions about environmental ethics and the long-term causes of introducing foreign species into new environments.
Other Species: Mute Swan, Cygnus Olor. Garlic Mustard, Alliairia
Works Cited
“Brown Marmorated Stink Bug.” EPA, United States EPA, http://www.epa.gov/safepestcontrol/brown-marmorated-stink-bug.
To Deal with the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, ARS Scientists Bring in its Arch Enemy.” , United States Department of Agriculture, tellus.ars.usda.gov/stories/articles/to-deal-with-the-brown-marmorated-stink-bug-ars-scientists-bring-in-its-arch-enemy/.
Ecological Empire 