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MDA Alerts Consumers to Take Care when Using Pesticides to Control Stink Bugs

ANNAPOLIS, MD (June 22, 2011) – The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) today alerts consumers that spraying the brown marmorated stink bug with chemical pesticides and insecticides will likely do more harm than good.

“Brown marmorated stink (BMSM) bugs are an agricultural menace that has devastated crops and livelihoods. While they are a homeowner nuisance and release a potent odor, they are generally harmless to humans,” said Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance. “Stink bugs don’t bite and don’t transmit or spread diseases. Spraying stink bugs with chemicals won’t eliminate them, and the potential damage to human health is far greater than anything stink bugs can do to you.”

To farmers, especially fruit and vegetable farmers, the BMSB has become an agricultural menace that is destroying crops. The BMSB has already inflicted extreme damage on orchards in Western and Central Maryland, with some fruit orchards losing as much as 40 percent of their crops last year. The bugs continue to threaten fruit trees and legume crops around the state, as well as up to 70 different types of ornamental plants.

Because stink bugs have no natural predators, the BMSB population exploded last year throughout the Mid-Atlantic, including Maryland. While many research institutions are working to find ways to eradicate the pest, there is currently no quick or certain way for homeowners or farmers to control this pest, and there are no chemical recommendations currently available for homeowners or farmers to follow. Results from lab insecticide tests, showed that the stink bug only appeared to be dead after being exposed to an insecticide. After living in a coma-like state (or “moribund state”) for a week, the bugs appeared to come back to life, their bodies having broken down the insecticide.

Homeowners who feel it necessary to use chemical controls, should remember these guidelines: Before using any pesticide product, READ THE LABEL FIRST, then follow the directions for use. Make sure that the pesticide has been approved for indoor use and that it is an EPA registered product. MDA, which regulates pesticide use, warns consumers that using the wrong pesticide or using it incorrectly – such as using pesticides for outdoor use inside a home – can make you sick, can make your family sick, can make your pets sick, and can even make your home uninhabitable. MDA also warns citizens to be on guard against con artists and unscrupulous vendors who pose as pest control experts, promising quick, easy eradication of stink bugs, especially if they suggest using pesticides inside your house.

Prevention Starts Now
According to the University of Maryland Home and Garden Information Center, the BMSB are mating and laying eggs now. Adults will begin to show in mid-August. Homeowners can expect the pests to become more aggressive about entering homes in the fall, as the weather cools and the stinkbugs search for a place to spend the winter. Because the worst infestations are yet to come, MDA suggests that homeowners practice the following prevention methods now to keep the bugs outside.
•    Seal up all external holes and cracks where stink bugs may enter;
•    Close your window shades at night since stink bugs (and other insects) are attracted to light.
•    Physically trap and kill the stinks bugs with insecticidal soap.
•    Once the insect is indoors, residents can vacuum them up and place in an outdoor trash receptacle. It should be noted that if many of them are squashed or pulled into a vacuum cleaner, their odor can be quite strong.

Additional information is available from the following sources:

For more pesticide information for consumers, MDA’s online database of pesticide companies and products, call 410-841-5710.

Contact Information

If you have any questions, need additional information or would like to arrange an interview, please contact:
Jessica Hackett
Director of Communications
Telephone: 410-841-5888

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