Environmental Outlook: Stink Bugs




WAMU-FM: WAMU: The Diane Rehm Show Podcast show

Summary: <p>Scientists are warning farmers and homeowners to gear up for battle with the invasive insect known as the brown marmorated stink bug. The number of adult bugs overwintering increased 60 percent in late 2012, and now they're emerging to lay eggs. The shield-shaped, brown speckled insect probably arrived as a stowaway on a ship from Asia. First seen in Pennsylvania in the 1990s, it's since been spotted in 40 states. Stink bugs get their name from the pungent smell emitted when they are frightened or crushed. For this month's Environmental Outlook, entomologists reveal the secrets of stinkbugs and talk about the search for sustainable methods of control.</p>