Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
BMSB Distribution in Wisconsin
As of 2016, BMSB has been confirmed in 13 counties 
(Brown, Dane, Dodge, Iowa, Jefferson, Kenosha, Manitowoc, Milwaukee, Outagamie, Racine, Rock, Waukesha, and Winnebago), and is suspected in another two. The highest densities so far have been focused around Dane Co.
BMSB as a pest and a nuisance
BMSB is known, on the East Coast, to be a pest of apples, tomatoes, sweet corn, pumpkins, soy, and other fruit, vegetable, and grain crops, as well as ornamentals. They damage crops when they feed: they suck out the plant’s juices, sometimes they inject saliva into the fruit which stunts growth, and they create an opening for diseases.
Additionally, BMSB adults like to aggregate in warm places to overwinter, which often means inside homes. This can be a major nuisance when populations build-up, as they are expected to as BMSB becomes more established here in coming years.
Although BMSB has been found in urban areas in Wisconsin since 2010, the summer of 2016 is the first time BMSB was trapped in Wisconsin crops. To date, in Wisconsin they have only been found in apples and pumpkins (see graph below). It is likely that they will expand into other crops, as well as expanding their range in Wisconsin, in coming years.
Identification of BMSB
Brown marmorated stink bug has the typical “stink bug” 5-pointed body shape, but can be distinguished from our native stink bugs using a few characteristics (see image at right). BMSB shows a distinctive banding black-and-white pattern along the edge of the abdomen, along with dark and white bands on their antennae. In addition, BMSB is a grey-brown color on the underside, and has smooth shoulders, without any teeth or spines.
Current BMSB management strategies:
- Cultural control
- Physical barriers, such as row cover or bagging fruit, can be effective on a small scale.
- Trap crops, like early maturing soy beans, can be planted and then either burned or vacuumed to remove many bugs from an area.
- Biological control
- Under investigation but no known effective biocontrol agents are available here yet.
- Chemical control
- Calibrate your sprayers and rotate chemical classes to delay resistance development.
- Most BMSB are found in the outer rows of an orchard or crop block, so spraying those will greatly reduce pesticide use while providing pretty good coverage.
- Similarly, baiting some rows with aggregation pheromone, then spraying those rows, is fairly effective.
- See the most recent Midwest Fruit Pest Management Guide for insecticide recommendations.
For more information on monitoring, identification, or anything else about Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, you can visit www.stopbmsb.org.