Spokane, WA (PRWEB) January 23, 2013
With the USDA recently naming the brown marmorated stink bug as the top invasive species in America and scientists predicting that the pungent pests will reach record numbers in 2013, the time is at hand to fight stink bugs.
Rod Schneidmiller, president of Sterling International, developer of the RESCUE!® Stink Bug Traps suggests that early action is critical to break the stink bug life cycle.
“Stink bugs live to eat and mate outdoors in spring and summer,” he says “It is important to start using your trap outdoors by April 1 in order to catch the emerging adults before they multiply. Over time, this will reduce their numbers so the amount that could potentially get in the house next fall drops dramatically.”
In the fall of 2011, juvenile stink bugs had an unexplained high mortality rate which translated into fewer adult bugs the following spring. In September 2012, however, homeowners were caught off guard by stink bugs swarming their houses, searching for a way to get indoors to hibernate. Their numbers were large because an early spring allowed two generations of stink bugs to get established.
Tracy Leskey, an entomologist with the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, explains, “Stink bug populations have recovered and in larger numbers. We're seeing populations that are about six times larger than they were the previous year.”
While not everyone will see thousands of stink bugs as reported on the news, it only takes one female to mate and produce 400 stink bug eggs in your backyard. Their numbers grow exponentially from there.
To combat the stink bug invasion, Sterling International scientists developed the RESCUE!® Stink Bug Trap to lure, capture and destroy these pests. It’s the only solution that works both indoors and outdoors, based on the stink bug life cycle and behavior in each environment:
Indoors: Two factors cause stink bugs to wake up from hibernation: when the stored food in their bodies is depleted, or when outdoor temperatures rise. The latter makes them think it’s spring, and if it isn’t yet, they will follow the heat sources to the warmer living areas of the house. The RESCUE! ® Stink Bug Trap can be used with the Stink Bug Light attachment in the attic to catch stink bugs as they wake from their winter sleep.
Outdoors: Stink bugs eat, mate and lay eggs. They only do these things outdoors. The RESCUE! ® Stink Bug Trap is used outdoors with the pheromone attractants to catch both adult and juvenile stink bugs during spring, summer and early fall. Consistent use of the trap outdoors, starting in spring, is the best way to stay on top of the stink bug problem.
Mike Raupp, a stink bug expert and entomologist at the University of Maryland says, "We're really expecting a bigger crop of stink bugs in the region coming into 2013."
Once that “bigger crop” reaches maximum size in September, Schneidmiller says, it is too late to alleviate the problem around your house.
Stink bugs aren’t just a foul-smelling nuisance; they’ve also caused millions of dollars in damage to crops. Because of this, Raupp warns that stink bugs are one of the most serious agricultural pests we’ve ever seen in the United States.
These invasive stink bugs from Asia first appeared in 1998 near Allentown, PA. With no natural insect enemies to keep their population in check, their numbers have steadily grown, hitting severe infestation levels in September 2010.
From Allentown, stink bugs have hitched rides and moved uncontrolled across the United States. To date, more than 39 states have reported stink bugs, with the highest concentration in Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia, known as the “red zone” states.
According to Schneidmiller, the RESCUE!® Stink Bug Trap uses patent-pending technology that slowly releases a pheromone which is odor-free to humans and formulated to lure stink bugs from up to 30 feet. The non-toxic mode of action is similar to what Sterling has successfully used in RESCUE!® traps for Japanese beetles, wasps, hornets, yellow jackets and other pests.
Established in 1982, Sterling International, Inc. offers RESCUE!® traps and attractants for stink bugs, flies, Japanese beetles, Oriental beetles and more. Look for these products and the RESCUE!® W•H•Y® Trap at home improvement centers, hardware stores and lawn & garden retailers throughout the U.S.
For more information and great tips, visit http://www.rescue.com or follow RESCUE!® on Facebook. Visit the site for a list of retailers near you.