| New Bug in the House |
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 This is a new bug that is showing up in the houses of Marylanders this winter. It is truly a new bug, a recent arrival from Asia that has somehow sneaked into this country and has taken up residence in our homes and gardens.The Brown Maromorated Stink Bug (Halyomorpha halys) is native to China, Korea and Japan, but now seen in homes across Maryland. The bugs are 14-17 mm long and are a dark, mottled brown color (marmorated means “marbled or streaked”), with light and dark bands on edges of the lower abdomen. During the growing season, this bug causes small dead spots covering the leaves and fruit of a great many of our favorite landscape plants. When the bug attack young orchard fruit it can produce “catfacing”, that is causing the shape of the fruit to become distorted with deep lines and bulges, which resemble the features of a cat’s face. The flip side of this pest presence is that they enter buildings in late fall to winter over. In late winter, they appear in the open and become a house pest. They do no real harm indoors, but large infestations of these bugs can quickly become a real nuisance. They are called stink bugs because they emit a strong offensive odor when provoked or squashed. There are no specific pesticides recommended for controlling these bugs indoors.
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