Latest Wisconsin Insect: Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

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

A tide of persistent species has washed over our Big Bend neighborhood Pewaukee and Wisconsin in the past two decades: the emerald ash borer and gypsy moth to name a few. All are innate to foreign countries. All have caused environmental and economic mayhem in the United States, where no natural predators exist to control them.

The latest 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 traveling west since being first discovered in Pennsylvania in 2001.

Its name is well-deserved. When disturbed or stepped on, the brown marmorated stink bug emits an awful, creature you'd invite into your Big Bend house, right?

Fortunately, the brown marmorated insect hasn't arrived in large numbers in Big Bend or WI. 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 stink. The insects feast 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 cousin 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 Big Bend your house. If you step on one, you'll figure it out quickly. The nose knows. If you see more in your Big Bend home or yard, don't step on them – contact The Mosquito Guy to address their presence in a safe, non-stinky fashion.  Unlike these bugs, we'll never stink up your joint.

Getting Rid of The Unwanted Insect: Brown Marmorated Stink Bug near Big Bend, WI