HASTINGS, Minn. — Brown marmorated stink bugs are a common pest in Twin Cities homes, but the Minnesota Department of Agriculture is seeing a stronger presence on farms.
Angie Ambourn is an entomologist and supervisor for the pest detection and export certification unit with the department. She said her team is seeing an increase in reports in the metro.
"We've actually heard of people starting to have levels so high that they've been calling pest control companies," said Ambourn. "Which is that's the first time that we've heard that."
Those reports are not the only way her department is monitoring the population. Ambourn has been visiting dozens of farms throughout the fall and summer, setting traps for the bugs.
Ambourn said that while marmorated stink bugs are harmless in your home, they have potential to hurt farms and hundreds of different crops.
"If you follow what happened out east, the stinkbug did move from the the big populated centers out into the agricultural areas," said Ambourn. "And then it started to become a problem and and started causing in agricultural and economic damage."
While Minnesota's farms are largely unaffected for now, the population is picking up. In states like Michigan and New York, the population in considered to have severe agriculture and nuisance problems.
"Orchards where we've not seen it before we're starting to get those trap catches," said Ambourn.
Experts says it's challenging to stop them from spreading, but you cant report sightings to the department. She says while she expects the population to continue growing, she doesn't know when or if the bugs will begin to harm crops. Ambourn said for now, it's not something to worry too much about but she hopes folks will help the department monitor the population.
Ambourn encourages folks who spot the pest to use the department's Report a Pest tool. She also hopes recreators traveling outside of town will wash vehicles, clothes, or shoes to stop the spread of invasive species like the brown marmorated stink bug.
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