Brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) was first identified in the United States in fall, 2001, in Pennsylvania. BMSB is a known pest of fruit trees and legumes in its native China, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. It has since been found in California, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. BMSB probably arrived in shipping crates from China, Korea, Japan, or Taiwan, where it is known to be a pest of fruit trees and legumes. It is also known to feed on shade trees and other woody ornamentals. It has the potential to become a very serious pest in the United States.
Although BMSBs can fly, their wide distribution is more indicative of their ability to hitchhike on vehicles. They are expected to continue to spread to other states. BMSBs overwinter as adults in houses or other protected areas, emerging in April. Because of BMSBs' close proximity to houses when they emerge, homeowners may be the first to report their presence.
As the name implies, brown marmorated stink bugs are a dark, mottled-brown color. Marmorated is from the Greek and Latin word, marmor, meaning marble. They are slightly more than one-half inch long and lay their eggs in a cluster on host plants. The pest causes damage by sucking plant juices, leaving small, necrotic lesions.
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