UMD researchers predict big stink bug infestation this year

Entomologists at the University of Maryland are predicting that 2013 will be another big year for the pesky, crop damaging stink bug. Although last year the infestation was comparatively mild, this spring threatens to be more like 2010 as far as the number of stink bugs is concerned, says Mike Raupp who has been studying the invasive insect as a researcher at UMD. He also says that Maryland, Virginia, and D.C. have proved to be ideal habitats for stink bugs, who have now spread throughout the nation. Farmers have had to deal with damage to crops, and scientists are scrambling to come up with more effective tools to control the population of stink bugs. Watch out for warm days in February and March–that’s when they will begin appearing.