Brown marmorated stinkbug
Have You Seen This Insect in New Hampshire?
BMSB Building Survey, Sept 2011
Dr. Alan Eaton, UNH Cooperative Extension
I surveyed of all four municipalities in NH with confirmed records of brown marmorated stink bug. I timed it when the adults were at peak massing behavior on the outsides of buildings, which this year was Sept 24-27. The time frame was determined by watching BMSB activity in two infested Portsmouth neighborhoods, from early August through mid-October. 
The overall finding was that this insect is relatively abundant (enough to be visible on buildings) only in one section (about 1 square kilometer) of Portsmouth, centered just southeast of the traffic circle. At all other addresses where it had been found, it was either not visible, or at very low levels. This includes parts of Portsmouth, Stratham, Rochester and Chichester.
In the section of Portsmouth with higher infestation, the insects were not too difficult to find, when looking during a sunny day. Most insects found were single individuals, but occasionally they were in groups of two or three. They were most common on screens of open windows or vents. With such low numbers, I could not evaluate any preferences the bugs have for colors or substrate (mansonry, wood, vinyl, etc). Down south, proximity to lots of trees is strongly correlated to high stinkbug numbers on buildings in the Fall. Building color does not seem to affect numbers down there.
Conclusions: This insect occurs at low levels only in one small part of Portsmouth. Elsewhere in the state, it either does not yet occur, or is at very low levels. It will take a while (hopefully a few years) before this insect becomes a household nuisance in most of New Hampshire. Based on experience in West Virginia, it will probably take eight years or more after that, for the insect to develop into a serious agricultural pest in NH. None of the BMSB traps set on farms this year by UNH Cooperative Extension or NH Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food caught any BMSB’s.
NEW - - A map which shows the towns in New Hampshire with a confirmed BMSB sighting as of 8/23/11. Current Status of BMSB, April 2, 2011 Dr. Alan Eaton, UNH Cooperative Extension
Brown marmorated stinkbug has currently (April 2, 2011) been found in every state east of the Mississippi River, plus Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington (33 total). In New Hampshire it has been The host range is very wide, and new hosts are documented in North America every year. Currently they include tree fruit, small fruit, vegetables, shade trees, sweet & field corn. Among ornamentals: maples, dogwood, crabapples, hawthorns, elms, sycamore, serviceberry. We are too far north for one highly favored host to survive: Paulownia tomentosa (Empress tree). We anticipate that in New Hampshire the insect will have one generation per year. Adults overwinter in protected places, like crevices in structures and inside walls. They should begin emerging in May (?). They begin laying eggs about 2 weeks after emergence. Nymphs should be found in spring and summer, and overwintered adults might be found on plants as late as July. New adults may appear as early as August. So far in New Hampshire, nuisance problems have been detected in only one neighborhood in Portsmouth.
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Brown marmorated stinkbug (BMSB) [Halyomorpha halys] BMSB is native to China, Japan, Taiwan and Korea. It was first discovered in the US in eastern Pennsylvania in 1998. A November 26, 2010 USDA NRCS bulletin says it has been found in 29 states. BMSB was confirmed in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in the summer of 2010. |
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This invasive insect presents two types of problems: 1) it can be a significant household nuisance and 2) it can be a serious agricultural pest. |
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In late August and early September BMSB’s instinctively search crevices and cracks, looking for a protected location to overwinter. In nature, this includes rock hollows and cliffs. In a populated area, BMSB’s may crawl into recessed areas of vehicles, like weather stripping of doors, and inside fuel filler doors. There is some evidence that they prefer white vehicles. They can become a significant nuisance in homes and other buildings, massing on the outside of buildings, looking for a way in. Buildings close to many trees seem to be the most heavily hit. In addition to the searching instinct, they also secrete an odor that attracts other BMSB’s. In states where this insect has been living for several years or longer, hundreds of insects can get indoors. From late August to early or mid-September they are also attracted to lights. As this problem becomes more serious, people will have to think about thoroughly screening air conditioners and other routes of entry into buildings. This has to be done before the insects begin searching, which is at the end of August. We know of one New Hampshire neighborhood in Portsmouth that has experienced a taste of the nuisance already. |
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| Eventually, farmers might suffer serious damage to their crops. It is already happening to dozens of fruit, vegetable, ornamental and field crops in the mid-Atlantic states. With luck, our cooler, shorter growing season will slow the insect’s increase, compared to warmer states. | ||
Identification: Adult brown marmorated stinkbugs are brown, about 2/3 inch (16 mm) long and 1/3 inch (9 mm) wide. They have banded antennae (alternating dark and light bands). The rear edges of the body have a white and dark pattern (thus “marmorated”). There are already 36 species of stinkbugs in New Hampshire, several of which are brown. Our native species do not have black & white banded antennae, nor the white & dark marmorations on the rear edge of the body. Brown stinkbug (Euchistus servus) is common on many plants, but is not commonly found indoors. |
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| People may also confuse stinkbugs with western conifer seed bug, a native species that expanded its range eastward into NH in the late 1990’s. It also has the habit of invading buildings in the fall. Both species can be found in buildings until the warmth of spring (and/or increasing day length?) triggers them to leave. Western conifer seed bug has hind tibiae (leg segments) with an expanded, flat leaf-shape. That’s why the family it is in is called “leaf-footed” bugs. Body length is roughly ¾ inch, a bit longer than brown marmorated stinkbug. | ||
| There are several other insects that invade New Hampshire buildings in the fall, including boxelder bug, which is black and red. To learn more about seasonal insect invaders and how to handle them, read my fact sheet “Seasonal Insect Invaders in New Hampshire Homes.” | ||
| One native insect that is similar to BMSB (but rarely found in houses) is the squash bug. Adults are about 15 mm long (almost 2/3 inch), but only 4- 6 mm wide. They are a uniform brown color ---no banded antennae, and no black & white marks along the rear edge of the body. When crushed, squash bugs emit a foul odor. | ||
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Let Us Know!
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. |
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1) UNH Cooperative Extension Education Center, Manchester handles many types of questions, not just about stinkbugs Email: Call: Toll-free information line - 1-877-398-4769 Monday - Friday, 9AM to 2PM, Wednesday 5 to 7:30PM. Write: UNH Cooperative Extension Education Center 200 Bedford St. Manchester, NH 03101 |
2) Dr. Alan Eaton, UNH Cooperative Extension Specialist Email: Call: 603-862-1734 Write: 252 Spaulding Hall 38 Academic Way Durham, NH 03824 |
3) Piera Siegert, State Entomologist Email: Call: 603-271-2561 Write: NH Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food Division of Plant Industry State Lab Building 29 Hazen Dr. Concord, NH 03301 |
Additional Information Seasonal Insect Invaders in New Hampshire Homes is a new 5 page publication that shows the common species and describes how to prevent them from getting indoors. BMSB is one of the species described and shown. An excellent fact sheet on BMSB from Pennsylvania State University Fact Sheet. More information on BMSB is also available at a Rutgers University website by Dr. George Hamilton. They have already experienced several years with BMSB, and they have useful information on managing the problem, including both the household nuisance problem and damage to crops. Rutgers University BMSB website BMSB fact sheet, with color photos. Farmers and nursery people may be interested in more information on vulnerable crops and options for control. Both the PSU publication and the Rutgers site above have some useful information for farmers. More is being developed. |
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