Another invasive pest has arrived, the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB). Since this stink bug feeds on fruits, vegetables, corn, soybeans and much more, many of our entomologists will be addressing the issues it will generate in Michigan. BMSB is difficult to control with insecticides and is a smelly nuisance that clusters on and in homes when the weather turns cold.
MSU entomology specialists are gathering information and writing research proposals to address the issues this new pest will create. Here is some information that is currently available:
- A fact sheet from MSU field crop entomologist Chris DiFonzo and insect diagnostician Howard Russell.
- An article by MSU fruit entomologists Anne Nielsen, Matt Grieshop and Larry Gut.
- A fact sheet from the North Central Integrated Pest Management Center.
Here are additional resources and information collected by Chris DiFonzo and Howard Russell:
Have a suspect BMSB?
Place it in a box (dry) with tissue paper or in white vinegar and mail or drop off to:
Howard Russell
Diagnostic Services
Michigan State University
101 Center for Integrated Plant Systems
East Lansing, MI 48824
MSU Entomology specialists by crop
These specialists will be working with their colleagues to develop specific crop recommendations as needed.
- Homeowner/Garden - Howard Russell
- Field Crops - Chris DiFonzo
- Landscape (commercial) - Dave Smitley
- Organic crops - Matt Grieshop
- Small fruits (ex., blueberry, grapes) - Rufus Isaacs
- Tree fruits (ex., apples) - Larry Gut
- Vegetable crops - Zsofia Szendrei
Links to BMSB info and bulletins
It’s worth noting the role of MSU Extension in confirming this pest has entered Michigan. An early press release (read it) stated that two Michigan State University (MSU) students collected the first specimens that were verified by USDA entomologists. Later more information identified the contributions of MSU Extension in this process. The specimen in Berrien County was identified as one of concern by MSUE Educator Duke Elsner and he submitted it to the USDA for further verification. A resident in Eaton County brought the second specimen into his local Extension office to MSUE Educator George Silva who sent it to MSU Diagnostic Services. There, entomologist Howard Russell identified it as brown marmorated stink bug and forwarded it to APHIS for confirmation.
Dr. Deborah McCullough is one of the researchers who lead a comprehensive study published in the December issue of BioScience. Entitled “Historical Accumulation of Nonindigenous Forest Pests in the Continental United States,” the publication suggests that without improved means to block the transport of exotic forest insects into the United States, the country’s forests, woodlands and urban trees could suffer economic losses projected to be in the billions of dollars.
Along with McCullough, the study included researchers from the University of California at Santa Barbara, the University of Central Florida (UCF) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service. They identified the number of non-native forest insect species that became established in the U.S. between 1860 and 2006. The scientists also looked at the extent and type of damage caused by different groups of pests. They also examined whether the kinds of pests coming into the country had changed over time. The comprehensive information compiled by the researchers should help state and federal regulators to strengthen regulations designed to exclude potentially damaging pests from entering the U.S. and to develop better methods to detect and manage the exotic forest insects that are already here.
“We found that more than 455 non-native species of tree-feeding insects and at least 16 pathogens that affect trees are now established in the continental United States,” McCullough says. “This isn’t a new thing – exotic forest pests go back to the 1800s, and at least one of them was here before 1700.”
McCullough notes that only about 14 percent of the 455 insect pests cause substantial economic or ecological damage.
“That may not seem like much, but it’s still pretty scary,” she says. “Some of these pests can be devastating when they become established in a new habitat.”
In past decades, most of the invasive forest insects in the U.S. were from Europe. Increases in global trade and travel, however, have provided more opportunities for forest insects from Asia and other world regions to enter the U.S.
Several insects including the Asian longhorned beetle, gypsy moth and hemlock woolly adelgid are on that list. The emerald ash borer (EAB), one of the more recent species to invade the U.S., has already killed tens of millions of ash trees in Michigan and other states in the upper Midwest. McCullough, who has studied EAB since its discovery in 2002, says it is becoming the most costly forest insect to ever invade North America.
“Our analysis showed a new high-impact invasive forest insect is discovered about every two and a half years,” she says. “Some of those species are leaf eaters while others feed on sap. The third group of non-native insects is the wood-borers, which includes species like EAB that feed and develop beneath the bark. Since 1980, more than fifty percent of the new forest insects discovered in the US have been borers. The dramatic increase in new borers is a big concern. Several species of borers can kill their host trees, and because most of their life cycle is spent below the bark, they can be difficult to find and manage.
"The jump in the number of non-native borers since 1980 is likely a result of the widespread increase in containerized shipping. Wood-boring insects can be transported in wood pallets, wood crating and dunnage (unprocessed timbers) used to protect and support cargo in containers. Other exotic forest pests arrive on live plants imported for planting or propagation, while other insects simply hitchhike on imported cargo.
“Global trade has had tremendous benefits for Americans,” says the study’s lead author, Juliann Aukema from the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis in Santa Barbara. “Unfortunately, it also provides a means for the introduction of destructive insects and other organisms that threaten native ecosystems and the services they provide.”
“The people and companies importing the commodities that are bringing in the borers and other forest insects are not the ones paying the costs for the destruction,” McCullough notes. “It’s the municipalities, homeowners and regulatory agencies who foot the bill.”
The research was supported by the Nature Conservancy and the National Center for Ecological Analysis, which is funded by the National Science Foundation. View pdf of article.