About Us
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| The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål), is a voracious eater that damages fruit, vegetable, and ornamental crops in North America. Photo: iStock. |
With funding from the USDA’s Specialty Crop Research Initiative, our team of researchers is focusing on sustainable, long-term management of the invasive pest brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB). We are working to increase our understanding of how landscape factors and the environment affect the risk of specialty crops to attack by BMSB, and taking steps to implement widespread biological control. In addition to exploiting the role of native natural enemies of BMSB, a classical biological control program is also being conducted with the exotic egg parasitoid Trissolcus japonicus. In fact, adventive populations of this wasp are already present in several areas along the east and west coasts of the United States. We also seek to develop economically viable approaches to managing BMSB in specialty crops that reduce reliance on chemical insecticides such as habitat manipulation and behavioral-based techniques.
Outreach
The goal of StopBMSB.org is to deliver science-based information about BMSB to the public, free of charge, and without advertising. This work builds upon a SCRI Coordinated Agricultural Project that ran from 2011 to 2016. This new project is national in scope, even more broadly than before. We have added partners from the Midwest, Southeast, and recruited an increased number of participants from the West and Pacific Northwest, regions of the country with extensive plantings of tree fruits and nut crops at risk to BMSB.
Together, we aim to inspire the next generation of integrated pest management experts, build upon existing resources, and add new ones over time. We will also evaluate the economic and social benefits of this work. With $23 billion worth of specialty crops at risk due to BMSB, we know a lot is a stake: food, farms, the environment, human health, and jobs.
Project Team
More than 50 researchers from 18 institutions across the United States work together on our project team. Find the names of our project directors and participants, as well as project groups on specific topics.
Goals and Funding
Learn about the scale of the biological, economic, and sociological risk of BMSB in dollar terms, and see in broad outline our plan to tackle it.
Reports and Presentations
Download reports, presentations, and posters related to the project research.
Scientific Publications
Link to articles in scientific publications by researchers working on the BMSB project.
Contact Us
Find the best way to reach a person about your issue if you don’t find your answer elsewhere.