Unless you have had the unfortunate experience of having to deal with an infestation of stink bugs before, you probably do not know very much about them except for the fact that they have a funny name. The truth is that you should know more about the stink bug because they have been causing more and more problems over the last decade in farm fields and gardens all over the world. If you are like most people and do not know much about these pests, this article will help you understand more about them.
They have originated from Asia where they were known as a significant pest to many of the crops that are grown there. As goods were traded with other countries, the insects came along with them. They are officially called Shield bugs and this is because the shape of their skeleton is similar to a shield. The “stink” part of their nickname obviously comes from the odor that comes from them. The smelly liquid they omit is used by the pests as a form of protection against their predators. The insects on their own do not smell unless they feel threatened.
The shield bugs are vegetarians and they will eat fruits, vegetables and many items that are probably in your garden. They especially like soybeans, apples and tomatoes. Their favorite foods make them especially dangerous to crops because it does not take them very long at all to do significant damage to a field. If they are not stopped, they will just keep moving on from one field to the next until it becomes a near epidemic. One of the bigger problems with these large infestations is that they are difficult to get rid of because many of the main pesticides that are usually used to protect crops do not work on these pests. Farmers are particularly worried about infestations of these pests, but they can attack individual gardens as well. Unfortunately, if they make it to your garden, there is also a chance that they will get into your house. Because of the smell that they can omit, you definitely do not want that to happen. They will go from plant to plant sucking the juice out of them. You can recognize when a shield bug has been around because there will be yellow spots on the plant where the juice was sucked out.
There seems to be some discrepancy about whether these types of insects bite or not. Most people will say that they do not. However, many people have reported that they were in fact bitten by a shield bug. If you do happen to get bitten by one of these insects though, they are harmless. It is not like a mosquito bite where it will itch and cause problems. The bite will hurt because it was a bite, but there will be no other lasting consequences.
If you have a garden or if you live anywhere near farm land, it is worth your while to become better educated on the shield bug.
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