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See also: Tree Fruit Insects Fact Sheets for more species

A tiny wasp may be the solution for managing an agricultural pest causing major economic damage to fruit, vegetable, and field crops in North America and Europe. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists are currently studying Trissolcus japonicus, commonly known as the samurai wasp, to see if this parasitoid wasp is the right biological control agent for reducing brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) (BMSB) populations outside of Asia. Biological control is the process of reducing or mitigating pests or pathogens by using the pest’s or pathogen’s natural enemies. The samurai wasp is a known natural enemy for the BMSB in Asia, and researchers are understanding how it behaves in non-native environments.

As of February 2015, brown marmorated stinkbug (BMSB) has been confirmed in 20 New Hampshire towns/cities. With the exception of a confirmation on nursery stock (shipped several months earlier from Long Island, NY), no specimens have yet been found on any crop. The vast majority of specimens have been found on or in buildings. We need your help. We want to find out where BMSB occurs in New Hampshire. Let us know if you see this species in or on your New Hampshire home. Verbal descriptions are not much use, but clear, close-up photos or specimens are helpful. We want to track this insect in NH and how it builds in numbers.

This initiative includes more than 50 researchers from 10 institutions across the U.S. working together on this project team. The team of researchers has mobilized to form a defense against the invasive pest brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB). The project team is working to find management solutions for growers, seeking strategies that will protect our food, our environment, and our farms.

"Tracking the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug" shows growers and others how to identify BMSB, why this pest is important in agriculture, and what's at stake if we don't stop it. Also includes new videos to address recent developments in monitoring, trapping, management, and biological control.

According to Agricultural Research Service (ARS) entomologist and research leader Tracy Leskey, laboratory trials show that brown marmorated stink bugs are attracted to blue lights—lights that attract fewer non-target insect species. She also tested a combination of visually attractive blue lights with chemically attractive pheromones. These studies about the effectiveness of both light and pheromone-baited traps will help researchers develop more effective stink bug traps in the future.

Pest Notes are peer-reviewed scientific publications about specific pests or pest management topics, directed at California's home and landscape audiences.

See also: Pest Alerts for more pests

See also: Plant Industry Pest Alerts for more pests

See also: Pacific Northwest Plant Disease Management Handbook

Biosecurity officials are promising to take tough action against cargo vessels believed to be infested with brown marmorated stink bug during the upcoming risk season. The risk season runs from September to April, when stink bugs from the northern hemisphere are most likely to crawl into cargo heading to New Zealand. Last season, biosecurity officers intercepted more than 2,500 individual stink bugs at the border, mainly on vessels and cargo.

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is on high alert to stop the invasive brown marmorated stink bug from making a home in New Zealand. The bug is likely to start showing up in imported cargo from the northern hemisphere. Brown marmorated stink bug is a serious horticultural pest in the United States and is also starting to spread through Canada and parts of Europe. The Ministry for Primary Industries and industry groups have been working together to prepare for the increased risk.