northeast-flora-and-fauna

This seems to be a Western Conifer Seed Bug , and from the name you can probably guess that it's not from around here. While many invasive species are from other continents, the Western Conifer Seed Bug invaded us from closer to home: the western US. Similar to its native relative, the Leaf-footed Pine Seed Bug (aka Pine Leaf-footed Bug aka Leaf-footed Pine Bug) hinders seed production of conifers. It sounds like the WCSB may harm seed production more than the LFPSB, perhaps because as an invader it's less likely to be bothered by predators or parasites, resulting in larger and healthier populations of WCSBs. These bugs won't damage your home, but they will try and spend the winter indoors with you. It also sounds like they can be smelly if you squish them; some places suggest vacuuming them up instead. Despite this similarity to other bugs like the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug , they aren't closely related to the stink/shield bugs ; both the WCSB and the LFPSB are in th...

Meet Bicyrtes quadrifasciatus , a sand wasp without a commonly unused common name, though is sometimes called the Stink Bug Hunter because they'll hunt stink bugs. Their strategy is to find stink bug nymphs, paralyzes them, flies the stink bugs to a nest in the sand, and lays eggs on them; the stink bugs are food for the wasp's larvae. The adult wasps sustain themselves drinking nectar, so they not only help remove stink bugs but also help with pollination. The invasive Brown Marmorated Stink Bug is on their menu - at least in their nymph stage - though it's not clear how effective they are at controlling stink bug populations. August 18, 2020 at Duke Farms

Here's a Brown Marmorated Stink Bug . It's in the family of true bugs called shield bugs or stink bugs . And it was yet another arthropod hanging out outside my door this summer. There's not a lot to like about these guys. They're invasive, can damage crops and native plants, and stink if you kill/move them. They prefer the fruits of plants to eat, though it sounds like almost any part of a plant will do in a pinch for these guys. They're native to places like Japan and Korea, though they've established a fairly thriving population in my area (New Jersey and Pennsylvania). August 5, 2020 at Sunny Slope Road