Koehler speaks with WGME about Maine’s recent stink bug invasion
WGME (Channel 13 in Portland) spoke with Glen Koehler, an associate scientist with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, about the recent rise in sightings of the brown marmorated stink bug in people’s homes. The stink bug is an invasive species which was introduced into North America in the 1990s and can now be found in 44 U.S. states. When it gets cold, the insect, which emits a foul smell when disturbed or squashed, commonly moves into people’s houses via cracks around windows, air conditioning units and doors and can hide almost anywhere. The recent flurry of sightings in people’s homes suggests that the stink bug population has become established in the state. While the pest can be a smelly nuisance in the home, they are not a danger to humans. Their gardens and farms, however, is another story. According to the story an explosion of brown marmorated stink bugs in the mid-Atlantic states in 2010 caused significant damage to the area’s crops. According to Koehler, “people were shoveling them out of their houses then, too.”
“That’s when they first blew up. We don’t know what’s going to happen here. The fact that they’re getting established in Maine now doesn’t mean that anything is going to happen next year, or in five years,” said Koehler. “It’s just one more thing to be aware of.”