Researcher Warns of Stink Bug Invasion
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The brown marmorated stink bug(Halyomorpha halys) is indigenous to Asia and is considered an agricultural pest in Japan. (USDA APHIS PPQ / David R. Lance)
A University of Georgia researcher is warning that a species of stink bug could soon be marching into homes across the state.
Entomologist Rick Hoebeke tells the Athens Banner-Herald that swarms of brown marmorated stink bugs are probably going to be seeking wintertime refuge inside Georgia homes.
He said the bugs, about a half-inch long, have been known to show up in such numbers that homeowners in Pennsylvania have used buckets and brooms to sweep them off porches.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hoebeke said that in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland and other mid-Atlantic states where the bug already is well-established, the brown marmorated stink bug has caused millions of dollars in damage.
He said the bugs have been spreading south, and have already been seen in the Atlanta area.