Fox News
Expand
Browse All Video
Watch Live

You're watching...

Authorities Scramble to Stop Asian 'Stink Bug' Invasion

Details

  • Description

    33 states already infested

  • Duration 2:24
  • Date

Clips

Also in this playlist...

Editor's Picks

Auto-advance: ON

Auto-advance
View All

Transcript

This transcript is automatically generated

How about an invader from Asia that is in fasting 33 states a really nasty bug destroying crops.

And even causing quite a stink if you haven't heard about -- yet they could be headed to your neighborhood or coming your way very soon.

Here's what you need to know about stink bugs.

Tracy lest -- -- a bug behavior specialist at the Department of Agriculture first of all -- these things are not native to him.

Erica right that's care -- they are native to Asia particularly Japan China Korea and -- line out here.

Well it was an accidental introduction it probably.

Came with a shipment of guidance into some place on the eastern seaboard they were first detected in Allentown Pennsylvania back in the late 1990s.

All right so and now that they are here they are causing terrible problems for people I guess they swarmed by the thousands.

On people's homes and businesses.

Yeah I in the follow this but has a tendency to move to lots of natural tendency to move to over wintering sites to spend the winter and this can include people's homes and businesses so we have had.

Folks that have had I'm -- huge numbers in their homes we have one individual he's actually taken data and removed over 20000 -- from his town.

And they column stink bugs for a very good reason what happens when you step on.

-- they did they stink they have.

Defensive compounds that they used to.

Deter predators for meeting them so when you handle them and you disturb them they will release those voters so smashing them not a good idea.

Not if you want to learn why they are called stink bugs.

Are there no natural predators.

Well we do you have generalist predators here in the United States that will eat them but certainly they're not keeping up with the population.

So birds bats that kind of thing they might take care of a few but.

He had urged praying -- to answer that sort of thing but -- they're not as effective as we would like and so we have colleague doctor Kim Palmer who has been leading some -- to bring.

Some of the Asian natural enemies of this in -- to the United States.

There and quarantine now in -- being screened it's a small non stinging parasitic Watson.

And it burrows into their -- I know.

-- SC from the Department of Agriculture we wish you well come up with a solution and all kinds of people would be where I don't know if -- -- a -- three -- thank you.

You're welcome don't step on the stink bugs in will be.

Load More