'Brown marmorated stink bug' panic in Ordu! They are entering homes in swarms

The brown marmorated stink bug, which causes serious damage to agricultural products, especially hazelnuts, and poses no danger to human health, prefers sheltered areas such as homes and warehouses to overwinter at the end of the summer season. In Ordu, the bugs, which have been seen recently in the Fatsa and Perşembe districts as well as Altınordu, Ünye, and Gülyalı, are being encountered frequently by producers following the hazelnut harvest season.

With a lifespan of one year, the brown marmorated stink bug, which is combated through agricultural, trap, and mechanical methods, can multiply up to 300 times with the eggs it lays. 

THEY ARE ENTERING HOMES TO SPEND THE WINTER

Arslan Soydan, a board member of the Union of Turkish Chambers of Agriculture, said that the brown marmorated stink bug, which has been seen in the Black Sea Region since 2017, is encountered very frequently, especially after the hazelnut harvest season. Soydan said, “The spraying period for hazelnuts in the spring of 2023 did not go well due to heavy rainfall. While the density is particularly high in the Fatsa and Perşembe regions of our province, they are also seen in the Ünye, Altınordu, and Gülyalı districts. In recent days, they have started to be seen especially in homes because they are going to spend the winter. They are trying to enter every gap, such as the roofs of houses, barns, and balconies, to stay,” he said. 

  “WE AIM FOR MASS SPRAYING” 

  Stating that citizens are constantly being informed about the brown marmorated stink bug and that mass spraying must be carried out, Soydan said, “Currently, barns, homes, and balconies need to be sprayed. Since there are stink bugs everywhere right now, all our institutions need to be involved in the fight. We aim to implement mass spraying as soon as possible,” he stated. 

  Pointing out that brown marmorated stink bugs cause serious damage to all agricultural products, especially hazelnuts, Soydan said, “I hope the more we reduce them, the better it will be. Once the stink bug settles and spends the winter, it will descend into the hazelnut orchards, especially in the spring. It does not only damage hazelnuts; it also causes serious damage to kiwis and other agricultural products. Our producers should not panic; we have to carry out the best possible fight,” he said. 

  Expressing that brown marmorated stink bugs, which have a one-year lifespan, multiply very rapidly, Soydan said the following: 

  “They have a rapid reproduction method; by laying around 25-30 eggs, nearly 300 insects are formed from them. They have a long lifespan and live for up to a year. They have a form that is durable for a long time, does not have much trouble with oxygen and nutrition, and can survive from winter to spring without eating anything. They are also foul-smelling, and other creatures do not approach them. Our citizens must destroy them here. The more we destroy, the less they will be seen in the spring period.” 

  (SK-ŞG-E) 

News Source: 12punto