Posted: January 6, 2012 2010 was the year of the brown
marmorated stink bug (BMSB). Stinkbug related calls to the
Franklin County Extension office support desk were far and away
the number one subject in 2010. The Penn State entomology fact
sheet on stink bugs received over 19,000 hits in the month of
September, 2010 alone. You tube demonstrations on making your
own home made stink bug trap from plastic soda bottles went
viral across the internet. Farmers, fruit, and vegetable growers
experienced major losses in their corn, soybean, apple, peach,
tomato and pepper crops, with similar impacts on the home
gardener. A task force of entomologists, Extension educators,
and government officials from USDA and EPA was formed to
prioritize research and formulate plans to attack the problem.
Local congressmen became involved to lend their support to
growers. In the spring of 2011, given the large populations of
2010, all signs pointed to another year of even larger
populations and everyone was prepared to tackle the pr