Fewer Stink Bugs?
In the current issue of Washington Gardener Magazine(www.WashingtonGardener.com), the Ask The Expert column addresses a question many of us have had this year, namely what is up with the stink bug population? It seems like there are far fewer inside people’s homes than last year. Are they on the decline?
Debra Ricigliano, the Ask The Expert columnist and a Certified Professional Horticulturalist with the Maryland Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center, answered:
Brown marmorated stink bugs are an invasive species that have caused tremendous losses for vegetable and fruit growers in the Mid-Atlantic area. Losses were greater in 2010, but they still did significant damage this past summer. They are a nuisance to home-owners because they enter houses in the fall to overwinter. Most likely, weather conditions are responsible for the decline in their numbers this year. The beginning of the summer was hot and dry (which they like), but then we had a tremendous amount of rain from the hurricane followed by the tropical storm. Unfortunately, they are not gone. The experts predict that they will be back in full force. Research by the government, universities, and various extension services to find the best solution for these destructive insects is ongoing.
Posted:
3/28/2012 by
Kathy Jentz | with
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