As a result of a relatively early spring, this year witnessed the birth of two generations of stink bugs, both of which have so far reached maturity.
Specialists now warn that, as winter draws near, these insects will start looking for shelter either in barns and attics, or in American households.
Although it may be true that this species of insects poses no threats to public health, the fact remains that, whenever startled or killed, stink bugs release a rather unpleasant odor, to which they owe their name.
Tracy Leskey, presently working as a research entomologist with the US Department of Agriculture, explains how, “We've seen increases in populations over the last month or so.”
“This is something that's different than in 2011”, the researcher goes on to say.
Besides showing up in American households in relatively large numbers, these stink bugs are expected to also impact on crops, which is why several researchers are now looking into various ways of halting and fighting back this potential threat.
Ames Herbert from Virginia Tech University made a case of how these insects typically feed on just about anything that happens to seed or bear fruit, which is why it is of utmost importance that scientists are quick in coming up with solutions for this problem.
Live Science explains that, for the time being, scientists are investigating whether or not a particular stink bug pheromone could help them attract and catch these insects.
As well as this, the idea of introducing an Asian wasp which typically feeds on this species in the US has also been given due consideration.
Just for the record, stink bugs are not native to the US. Quite the contrary: they only got here about 15 years ago, when various human activities lead to some of them making their way to the American East Coast.
Presently, stink bugs are to be found in as many as 38 American states.
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