Exactly where did stink bugs come from? American families who have encountered these bugs have been plagued by this question for quite some time. Stink bugs are insects that belong in the family of Pentatomoidea, under the Hemiptera order. Pentatomoidea comes from the Greek word “pente”, meaning five and “tomos” meaning segment. Stink bugs have antennae with five segments, which gives the family its scientific name. Furthermore, these stinky bugs have four dense wings and an outer hard covering that’s triangular in shape and resembles a shield (thus the name “shield bug”). Many stink bugs are brightly colored but most are generally green or brown. The majority are plant eaters but a few others animal eaters as well.
Once again, exactly where did stink bugs come from? Stink bugs are a well-known pest in its native East Asian countries like China, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. Stink bugs are dependent on plants for food, just like fruits, vegetables, and even legumes. The brown marmorated stink bugs were not reported in the United States until September 1998 in Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. But as mentioned by Penn State University entomologist Steve Jacobs, these bugs may have possibly been in the U.S. even before that. But just exactly where did stink bugs come from and how were they able to invade the U.S.? Not one person can really tell how these bugs were able to get to the U.S., but it is believed that they might have gotten in as stowaways in shipments from East Asia. They rapidly grew in population ever since and have invaded not just farms, vineyards and orchards, but also households.
Stink bugs are very well-known for producing a foul-smelling liquid when threatened, hence the name – stink bugs. The fact that they stink is what made the problem even worse for the American people. As stated by Bob Summers, owner of Real Kill Termite and Pest Control Specialists, “They have no natural predator. A bird won’t eat them because they stink. A spider won’t eat them either because they stink.” Since no one wants to eat them, they just continue to grow in number. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has already spent an estimated ten million dollars to fight these bugs but no great results have been achieved up to now.
Okay then, returning to the main question, “Where did stink bugs come from?” With the annoyingly large population of these stinky bugs in the U.S. at present, the answer can be as just simple as, “Almost everywhere!”