Those of you who live in the mid-Atlantic region of the US are probably aware that in the past few years the region has become infested with a nasty, swarming insect called “The Stink Bug” which was accidently imported from Asia and which has no enemies in this country. It is rapidly spreading in area and numbers; each year is significantly worse than the previous year. I dread what this Summer will be like.
Yesterday I heard a radio story about a group of scientists who are planning to fight the invasion by importing the stink bug’s natural enemy in Asia, something called “The Asian Wasp”, and releasing it here so it can breed and feast on the stink bugs.
Does this really seem like a good idea to you, to introduce one alien insect to get rid of another? What are we going to do when the Asian Wasp kills all the stink bugs and then starts in on something else, say honey bees?
First off- yes, stink bugs are evil incarnate. I hate the little fuckers. I’ve currently got my house drenched in poison 'cause that’s the only way to keep them from taking over.
Second- isn’t this pretty much the solution they’re using for fire ants in Texas? A species of wasp which preys only on fire ants will keep them under control, and as long as the wasps don’t have anything else they can eat, there shouldn’t be a problem. Of course, it all relies on the predator not having anything else it can prey upon.
I heard them taking about this on NPR the other day. I believe what they said amounted to “We’re pretty sure that these Asian wasps feed exclusively on stink bugs and when the stink bugs are eliminated, the wasps will disappear on their own.” The scientist they interviewed said they were still testing and wouldn’t be ready to implement a mass release of Asian wasps until they were confident they would not attack native insects, which could be a couple of years away.
They should release stink bug-eating spiders into the environment. Then, when the stink bugs are dead, importing Chinese needle snakes will take care of the spider problem. To get rid of the snakes, smuggle a type of gorilla that eats snakes. The good part is when winter comes around, the gorillas simply freeze to death
Here there is a large infestation. Although I have all the windows closed, I still get several a day. (Less now that I have sprayed around all the openings around which they congregate.)
They are harmless, but annoying - buzzing around constantly.
A friend had left a small crack open last summer and had hundreds of them - so many that he had to vacuum them up - and then, because of the smell, throw out the vacuum.
But I did read about the wasp last fall and I too wondered at the wisdom.
“Homeowners all over the northeast are reporting massive numbers of stink bugs on the exterior walls of their homes, sometimes in the thousands, with dozens making their way into the interiors.”
“There is a very real possibility for millions of dollars in damage to the United States’ food supply … Unless effective monitoring methods, preventive measures and controls are developed soon, this infestation could result in serious shortages, higher prices, and more dependence on foreign imports.”
At least they sleep later than the roosters … though there is nothing quite like the delicate thudding of a dozen or so romping around on the roof over the bedroom at 7 am.
introducing nonnative species for control can be a problem if the predator adapts to new food sources.
also nonnative invasive species can develop a balance. the Asian lady beetle came and its population exploded, being a cliff dweller it would seek over wintering behind the siding of houses by the thousands. given enough years that no longer is the case, the populations (shown by studies) have dropped drastically.
There was an old lady who swallowed a spider.
It wiggled and jiggled and… giggled? inside her.
She swallowed the spider to swallow the fly.
Poor old lady, I guess she’ll die.
There was an old lady who swallowed a cow.
I don’t know how she swallowed the cow.
The swallowed the cow to catch the goat,
She swallowed the goat to catch the dog,
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
That wiggled and jiggled and tickled inside her,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly,
But I don’t know why she swallowed the fly.
Perhaps she’ll die.
There was an old lady who swallowed a horse.
She’d dead of course.
You are really lucky if you have just a few in your house. The problem is that they usually come in the hundreds or thousands - and that is what makes them so undesirable.
I read with interest your post about guinea fowl, but have never adopted birds before. Can you recommend good sources of info about how to care for them? I do have plenty of land now.
