BURLINGTON - Vermont has the dubious honor of hosting yet another new illegal alien of the insect kind-the stink bug. The bug, which poses a threat to the state's apple crop, was first detected here a few weeks ago.
"As if Vermont didn't have enough serious invasive introduced exotic pests to watch for, such as the emerald ash borer and Asian long-horned beetle, we now have another Asian import-the brown marmorated stink bug," according to Dr. Leonard Perry, a professor at the University of Vermont Extension.
Perry alerted orchard owners and gardeners that the stink bug took up residence in Vermont just this year. It has been in the U.S. over a decade slowly moving north. It now calls 32 states home.
"It feeds on many fruits, vegetables, and farm crops, either making them inedible or unsaleable," Perry noted. "This stink bug is a nuisance in homes as well."
First detected in eastern Pennsylvania in the mid 1990s, this bug likely arrived in imported packing material from Asia. Even in its native China, Korea, Japan, and Taiwan it is a formidable farm pest.
"This pest has caused widespread damage to apples and peaches in mid-Atlantic states," according to Perry. "Apples end up with many brown spots, called 'cat facing', that makes them unmarketable. Other fruit crops it damages with dead spots include other stone fruits like cherries, pear, grapes, and brambles. Host vegetable crops include corn, tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, eggplants, and peppers among others."
According to UVM's Perry, apple trees aren't the only local plant threatened by the stink bug invasion.
In addition to its traditional apple crop, Vermont's agricultural scene has seen the recent growth of commercial, albeit boutique level, wine-grape production in the Champlain Valley.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the bug's stinky chemical has been known to cause allergic skin reactions.
Unfortunately, pesticides that kill stink bugs are powerful and not recommended for use in houses and gardens. A vacuum cleaner is recommended for removing the bug indoors.
Orchard owners in Vermont are asked to inspect trees and fruits for the bugs.
Perry said that "researchers are working on biological controls that will kill the pest and not predator insects and other native stink bugs that don't cause problems. Being an introduced pest, no natural biological controls are present in infested areas."
Perry advised Vermont residents to check vehicles, campers, packing materials, or other objects that you're transporting from outdoors during the summer.
Meanwhile, local orchard owners are on the lookout brown marmorated stink bug.
At Douglas Orchard and Cider Mill in Shoreham, operated by the Douglas family since 1898, management is aware of the potential threat.
Orchard co-owner Scott Douglas said the stink bug is one more thing to add to his list of agricultural worries.
"We've been aware of this possibly for awhile. We're concerned that this a whole other pest to deal with on top of all the others," Douglas said.
Douglas said his family would use a stink bug insecticide in the orchard, but he's not sure what's effective without killing beneficial insects in the process.
"We use what's called IPM, or integrated pest management, in our operation," he said, "so that involves just the right timing when applying insecticides.
Douglas said old-style insecticides killed everything, but today's chemicals are different.
"Many of today's pesticides don't kill the pests out right," he added. "They are targeted; they can disrupt the insect's nervous system or feeding patterns."
Douglas said he has already spoken with other Vermont orchard owners-everyone is on the lookout for a possible stink bug invasion, he said.