Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
The brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) is a shield-shaped bug from East Asia that has become an invasive crop pest in North America and Europe. It was first noticed in Pennsylvania in the late 1990s.
The brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) is a shield-shaped bug from East Asia that has become an invasive crop pest in North America and Europe. It was first noticed in Pennsylvania in the late 1990s.
🧬 Field Guide Specimen: Open Brown Marmorated Stink Bug in the CRV Science Field Guide to log the specimen, see its place among the Ecdysozoa lineages in the Cladogram Explorer, and test your recall in the Red List conservation game.
An Agricultural Pest
Both nymphs and adults pierce fruits, vegetables and seeds and suck the juices, leaving dimpled, corky patches. Losses to apple and peach growers in the mid-Atlantic United States ran to tens of millions of dollars in 2010.
The Stink
When crushed or disturbed, the bug releases a pungent odor containing aldehydes such as trans-2-decenal. In fall, bugs invade houses in large numbers to overwinter in wall voids and attics.
Biocontrol: The Samurai Wasp
A tiny parasitoid wasp from Asia, Trissolcus japonicus, lays its eggs inside stink bug eggs. It was found in the United States in 2014, apparently arriving on its own, and is now being studied and released as a biological control.
Brown Marmorated Stink Bug at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Halyomorpha halys |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Arthropoda |
| Class | Insecta |
| Order | Hemiptera |
| Family | Pentatomidae |
| Field Guide group | Ecdysozoa: Hexapoda (Insects) |
| Diagnostic feature (Field Guide) | Shield-shaped mottled body, forewings half-hardened and half-membranous, releases a foul odor when disturbed. |
| Order | Hemiptera |
| Native range | East Asia |