Stink bug that targets fruit crops spreads in Ore.
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A bug that attacks fruit crops and has caused major damage in the eastern United States has shown up this month in the Oregon towns Hood River and Rogue River, both orchard centers.
The brown marmorated stink bug has been in the United States since the 1990s and in Oregon since 2004.
But, as the agricultural publication the Capital Press reports, they haven't been found in commercial crops in the Northwest.
In mid-Atlantic states, though, the stink bug has been a headache for farmers.
Oregon State researchers are experimenting with a counter: a parasitic wasp that feeds on the bug's eggs.
But, they say, Oregon has native stink bugs that are beneficial as predators. So, the researchers have to make sure the wasps don't hurt those populations.
The brown marmorated stink bug has been in the United States since the 1990s and in Oregon since 2004.
But, as the agricultural publication the Capital Press reports, they haven't been found in commercial crops in the Northwest.
In mid-Atlantic states, though, the stink bug has been a headache for farmers.
Oregon State researchers are experimenting with a counter: a parasitic wasp that feeds on the bug's eggs.
But, they say, Oregon has native stink bugs that are beneficial as predators. So, the researchers have to make sure the wasps don't hurt those populations.
