Brown marmorated stink bug
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Beginner
Scientific Name
Halyomorpha halys
Identification
Adults
- 12-17 mm long
- Shield-shaped
- Marbled brown appearance
- Smooth shoulders with a single tooth-like projection
- Lower abdomen has a geometric pattern of dark patches alternating with light ones
- Legs brown with faint white banding
- White bands on last antennal segments
- Oval-shaped
- Somewhat tick-like appearance
- Two white bands on each antenna
Damage
- direct feeding damage to berries
- increased susceptibility to late season rots
- adults and nymphs in clusters at harvest could potentially result in an odour or taint and/or off-flavour in wine
Often Confused With
Other stink bugs (brown stink bugs, rough stink bugs, western conifer seed bugs) squash bugs and spined soldier bug): All of these bugs have obvious alternating light and dark checked patterns on the edge of the abdomen but no white triangle within the pattern; no white bands on antennae or legs
Period of Activity
Late spring to fall.
Threshold
None established; however, seemingly small numbers of nymphs and adults can cause considerable damage over the course of the growing season.
Scouting Notes
This pest has not yet been identified in Ontario; however, it has been found in New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Monitoring is possible with aggregation pheromones and by scouting, there are no reliable thresholds linking numbers to crop damage. In the U.S., adults, nymphs and eggs have been found in both the foliage and clusters.
Advanced
Scientific Name
Halyomorpha halys
Identification
Adults
- 12-17 mm long
- Shield-shaped
- Marbled brown appearance
- Smooth shoulders with a single tooth-like projection
- Lower abdomen has a geometric pattern of dark patches alternating with light ones
- Legs brown with faint white banding
- White bands on last antennal segments
- Oval-shaped
- Somewhat tick-like appearance
- Two white bands on each antenna
Damage
- direct feeding damage to berries
- increased susceptibility to late season rots
- adults and nymphs in clusters at harvest could potentially result in an odour or taint and/or off-flavour in wine
Often Confused With
Other stink bugs (brown stink bugs, rough stink bugs, western conifer seed bugs) squash bugs and spined soldier bug): All of these bugs have obvious alternating light and dark checked patterns on the edge of the abdomen but no white triangle within the pattern; no white bands on antennae or legs
Biology
Brown Marmorated Stink Bug overwinters as an adult in protected areas, becoming active when temperatures increase in the spring. In northern climates, there is a single generation per year. The adults emerge in the spring, mate and begin to move into crops, where they feed and eventually lay eggs. The adults are long-lived, with females laying eggs over an extended time period and resulting in seemingly overlapping generations with all life stages (eggs, nymphs and adults) present. A single female may lay several hundred eggs. Adults migrate between host crops throughout the growing season. Adults move back to overwintering sites (woodlots and rocky outcroppings, human built structures) in the fall.
Brown Marmorated Stink Bug has a very broad host range, including numerous field crops, wild hosts, stone fruit, pome fruit, tree nuts, grapes, berry crops, peppers, tomatoes, sweet and field corn, soybeans, and ornamental trees and shrubs. The adults are highly mobile and are capable of moving between crops throughout the growing season.
Period of Activity
Late spring to fall.
Threshold
None established; however, seemingly small numbers of nymphs and adults can cause considerable damage over the course of the growing season.
Scouting Notes
This pest has not yet been identified in Ontario; however, it has been found in New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Monitoring is possible with aggregation pheromones and by scouting, there are no reliable thresholds linking numbers to crop damage. In the U.S., adults, nymphs and eggs have been found in both the foliage and clusters.
Management Notes
Other common brown stink bugs that resemble BMSB may be found in other crops and occasionally in vineyards. In Ontario, the only stink bugs that have been seen in vineyards have been the beneficial species such as the spined soldier bug.
Without careful examination for distinguishing characteristics by a qualified person, it is difficult to distinguish BMSB from other species. While OMAFRA extension staff and private consultants, and researchers are keeping an eye out for BMBS, grape growers and consultants who suspect they may have found BMSB should collect samples, freeze them in a jar or other container, and submit them to OMAFRA specialists for identification.
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