Stinkbugs
I think by now everyone in Marianna has seen a brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomporpha halys). They were first found in Allentown, Pa in 1998, and supposedly, accidentally introduced years earlier. Interestingly, the Asian lady beetle was also first observed around the same time in Pennsylvania in the fall of 1993. Stinkbugs are native to several Asian countries.
Sometimes I think that the invasive stink bugs and Asian lady beetles were released in our yard by the thousands. We have both in the spring and fall, in great numbers.
Most times stink bugs don't annoy me; I have grown to ignore them. But lately they have come out of every crevice and dive bomb in places you least expect them, like a cup of coffee you are about to drink, or spaghetti sauce just before adding it to your noodles.
Many people think stinkbugs smell like trash. I think they smell like cilantro. Turns out I'm not the only one who thinks this. Their smell is compared to cilantro on several online websites.
FYI-A female stink bug can lay up to 400 eggs in her lifetime. You'll be happy to know there are predators who love to eat stinkbugs and they are birds, bats, spiders.
"Hey There, Stink Bug!" by Leslie Bulion is a good children's book. It's about poetry but includes a lot of stink bug and other insect information.
Thanks for visiting!
