IPM Working Group Seeks Solutions as Stink Bug's Notoriety Grows

Our Center’s newly funded Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) IPM Working Group hit the ground running in June 2010, when its 30 members met in West Virginia to establish research, extension, and regulatory priorities for an intensifying problem. Recently described by the New York Times as a contender for “pest of the year,” BMSB caused severe crop damage in the mid-Atlantic region this season and is a growing nuisance in homes and buildings. Drawing on working group leader Tracy Leskey’s expertise, the Times article explains the limitations of current trapping methods and the need for further research. Leskey and her co-leader, George Hamilton, are convening the working group again on November 17 to develop strategies for improving BMSB management in response to this urgent issue.