Latest Wisconsin Pest: Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

The hits just keep coming, in the form of more unwelcomed 6-legged visitors whose real home is across the oceans.

A tide of invasive insects has washed over our Oakwood Hills neighborhood Pewaukee and Wisconsin in the past 2 decades: the emerald ash borer and gypsy moth 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 smell.

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-earned. When disturbed or stepped on, the brown marmorated stink bug emits a strong, odor guaranteed to wrinkle your nose. Probably not a {visitor you'd invite into your Oakwood Hills home, right?

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

Farmers hate them for more than their odor. The stink bug 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 relative 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 Oakwood Hills homes. If you crack one, you'll figure it out quickly. The nose knows. If you see more in your Oakwood Hills home or yard, don't step on them – contact The Mosquito Guy to address their presence in a safe, non-stinky fashion.  Unlike these insects, we'll never stink up your joint.

Getting Rid of The Unwanted Insect: Brown Marmorated Stink Bug near Oakwood Hills, IL