THE BROWN MARMORATED STINK BUG
A Look At Just How Invasive The Brown
Marmorated Stink Bug Is, is
an article that was published on National Public Radio website on 7th March
this year. It is an interview based on another article posted on the latest
issue of The York Times by Kathryn Schulz. The article discusses the brown
marmorated stink bug where everything about the pest is laid out ("A
Look At Just How Invasive The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Is", 2018).
The
marmorated stink bug is an insect that is not initially from America, but Asia
and only arrived in America about two decades ago. Ever since its arrival, the
pest has made its way through most states in the U.S. It has also been seen in
Canada. Other than these the bug has also made its way through South America in
countries like Chile and some parts of Europe like Russia, Italy, France, Hungary,
Greece, Spain, and Switzerland. The spread of this bug cannot be attributed to
its prowess in flying but to globalization
(Schulz, 2018).
The
bug when invading a place, its known to go in groups of hundreds. The article
starts with the story of how a couple in South Carolina discovered their cabin
bedroom being infested by these creatures. One of the primary characteristics
of the bug is that it has a very distinct smell when attacked which in most
cases is used as a protection mechanism. That is why it is referred to as the
Stink Bug. As described in the article, if the bug is killed it is found to
release the smell that is similar to that of cilantro. Other people describe
the smell as similar to that of ammonia-and-sulfur stench that is usually around
paper mills ("A Look At Just How Invasive The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
Is", 2018). Another characteristic of the bug is that it seems to eat
anything just like a human being primarily on the farm. The feature makes it a
dangerous organism to the human beings in particular because it preys on their
food. The worst thing about the bugs is that when they invade they do it in
large quantities and you cannot get rid of them entirely. They hide in every
corner of the house. The article also highlights that no pesticide has been
able to eliminate then wholly all at once. The fact that they have extended
legs that do not allow their bodies to touch the sprayed crops makes the
elimination harder.
According
to the article, prior the invasion of the bugs, farmers used pesticides twice
in a season of crops at most, but after the attack, pesticides are applied to
the plants almost every week. As a result, people are consuming foods that are
heavy on pesticide content. The same goes for the environment, although pesticides
are used to control pests in the field, excessive use can be detrimental to the
environment killing both harmful and useful organisms in the soil. The bug
becomes more problematic since it can feed on any crop that grows, be it
pepper, apples, tomatoes or any other produce (Schulz,
2018).
The
only good thing about the bug is that it does not bite human beings or destroy
anything in the house and the fact that it has its natural predator in the
ecosystem. Despite the brown marmorated stink bug not having any direct effects
on human beings, there is a question on how to control it. The pest invades in
hundreds and not a single one, enough to cause catastrophic effects like the
distraction of vast fields of crops leaving human beings with no food. At the same
time use of pesticides has harmful effects as discussed earlier on both people
and the environment itself. The other option is the introduction of the natural
predators of the bug into the ecosystem, but there is no measure of the effects
that this will cause on the ecosystem
(Soffar, 2017).
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