Stink Bugs

Agriculture Department's Appalachian Fruit Research Station in Kearneysville, West Virginia.

The cream is used by some people to treat varicose veins and skin blemishes.

In the spring of 2011, stink bugs were seen in 33 states and had made it all the way to the West Coast to states such as California, Oregon, and Washington.

For growers seeking immediate help, one option is an insecticide called dinotefuran, the active ingredient in the commercial products Venom and Scorpion.

In the U.S., the chemical compound is approved for use on vegetables, grapes, and cotton, but not in orchards and the federal government's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said dinotefuran manufacturer Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. hadn't sought to have the insecticide licensed for tree fruit applications.

For now, however, the United States remains the world’s biggest oil consuming nation and the largest crude oil importer.

Once it has been pierced, it develops a spot that is disfigured and discolored.

U.S. farmers were dismayed when the insects, which are native to Asia, started to appear in North America.

"All that we do know for certain is that [there was] a tremendously large population [of stink bugs]... in fall 2010—so, if they survived, there could be a very large population emerging in the spring," said Tracy Leskey, a research entomologistentomologist at the U.S.

Some researchers are also investigating the possible importation of the stink bug's main Asian predator, the parasitic wasp; however, it could take years to ensure that the wasps wouldn't cause their own set of problems.

In the U.S., the chemical compound is approved for use on vegetables, grapes, and cotton, but not in orchards and the federal government's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said dinotefuran manufacturer Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. hadn't sought to have the insecticide licensed for tree fruit applications.

In the U.S., the chemical compound is approved for use on vegetables, grapes, and cotton, but not in orchards and the federal government's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said dinotefuran manufacturer Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. hadn't sought to have the insecticide licensed for tree fruit applications.

The insect, named for the foul stench it gives off when crushed, loves to eat just about anything that grows—in fact, it will feed on cherries, tomatoes, grapes, lima beans, soybeans, green peppers, apples, and peaches.

"If I was a mad scientist doing gene splicing and putting together a bug that would really be nasty, and I was turning it loose on my enemy, I probably couldn't do a better job," Bartlett said.

"This is the worst, probably, that I've dealt with in 25 years," said Haas, adding, "The damage they do to fruit is horrendous."

Growers in the Mid-Atlantic Region have reported the worst problems, and the apple industry appears hardest hit —according to the U.S.

The stink bug uses its needle-like mouth to pierce the skin of fruits and vegetables, and while the produce that has been infested with stink bugs is safe for humans to consume, it doesn't look appealing.

Mark Seetin, the association's director of regulatory and industry affairs, said the stink bug invasion is unprecedentedunprecedented and the worst threat to farmers he's seen in his 40 years in agriculture.

In the U.S., the chemical compound is approved for use on vegetables, grapes, and cotton, but not in orchards and the federal government's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said dinotefuran manufacturer Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. hadn't sought to have the insecticide licensed for tree fruit applications.

"When you spray the crop with completely legal, viable insecticide, you will kill the stink bug, but the problem is that you will do it today, and a few days later you will have another whole group of [the bugs] migrating from the outside," Krawczyk said, adding, "So they just keep moving."

Government researchers have set up devices in orchards in Maryland and West Virginia to monitor the bugs.

For growers seeking immediate help, one option is an insecticide called dinotefuran, the active ingredient in the commercial products Venom and Scorpion.

As of May 2011, the EPA was reviewing a petition that could allow the compound's use in orchards in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.

The stink bug uses its needle-like mouth to pierce the skin of fruits and vegetables, and while the produce that has been infested with stink bugs is safe for humans to consume, it doesn't look appealing.

Mark Seetin, the association's director of regulatory and industry affairs, said the stink bug invasion is unprecedentedunprecedented and the worst threat to farmers he's seen in his 40 years in agriculture.

"If I was a mad scientist doing gene splicing and putting together a bug that would really be nasty, and I was turning it loose on my enemy, I probably couldn't do a better job," Bartlett said.

The insect, named for the foul stench it gives off when crushed, loves to eat just about anything that grows—in fact, it will feed on cherries, tomatoes, grapes, lima beans, soybeans, green peppers, apples, and peaches.

They are considering different long-term solutions, such as finding chemicals that can attract stink bugs to traps before the insects can feed on fruit; this is a strategy that has worked in controlling Japanese beetles.

For growers seeking immediate help, one option is an insecticide called dinotefuran, the active ingredient in the commercial products Venom and Scorpion.

"When you spray the crop with completely legal, viable insecticide, you will kill the stink bug, but the problem is that you will do it today, and a few days later you will have another whole group of [the bugs] migrating from the outside," Krawczyk said, adding, "So they just keep moving."