Latest Wisconsin Pest: Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

The hits just keep coming, in the form of more unwelcomed six-legged visitors whose real home is across the waters.

A mass of annoying bugs has washed over our Crystal Lake neighborhood Pewaukee and Wisconsin in the past two decades: the emerald ash borer and Asian beetle to name a few. All are native to foreign countries. All have caused environmental and economic mayhem in the United States, where no natural predators exist to control them.

The most recent invader winging its way here will literally make a stink.

The brown marmorated insect is ¾-inch long, with a wide back side that tapers to a point, and a rectangular head with long antennae. Native to China and east Asia, the insect has been journeying west since being first discovered in Pennsylvania in 2001.

Its name is well-deserved. When disturbed or crushed, the brown marmorated stink bug emits a strong, odor guaranteed to wrinkle your nose. Probably not a {visitor you'd invite into your Crystal Lake house, right?

Fortunately, the brown marmorated stink bug hasn't arrived in large numbers in Crystal Lake or Wisconsin. Stink bug control isn't much of an issue yet. Yet it's only a matter of time.

Farmers dislike them for more than their smell. The insects feed on tree fruits, vegetables, sweet corn and soybeans. Mid-Atlantic apple growers sustained an estimated $37 million in crop losses in 2010 to marmorated stink bugs.

The Asian invasive has a family member that is native to the United States. The insect looks a lot like the brown marmorated version, except the colors of their undersides are different. We somehow doubt you'll get that far identifying them, though.

Brown marmorated stink bugs like to winter inside Crystal Lake homes. If you step on one, you'll figure it out quickly. The nose knows. If you see more in your Crystal Lake house or yard, don't crush them – contact The Mosquito Guy to address their presence in a safe, non-smelly fashion.  Unlike these bugs, we'll never stink up your joint.

Getting Rid of The Unwanted Insect: Brown Marmorated Stink Bug near Crystal Lake, IL