Japanese Farmers Struggle with Rise in Stink Bug Populations
Stink bugs, which produce a bad smell when threatened, are causing major damage to farm crops in Japan. By the end of August, 35 of the 47 prefectures had issued stink bug warnings to farmers by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries. The number of stink bugs this year are said to be the highest in a decade, with experts claiming global warming is behind the increase.
Three types of stink bugs are causing the damage to Japanese crops - those that attack soybean plants, those that pierce the skin of fruits and extract their juices, and those that suck nutrients from and discolor rice plants. There are over 1,000 types of stink bugs in Japan, with around 100 of them causing damage to crops, according to Kenji Fujisaki, a professor emeritus at Kyoto University and former head of the Union of Japanese Societies for Insect Sciences. He has researched stink bugs for more than 50 years and recommends the use of yellow fluorescent lights that repel the stink bugs, as well as insect nets and pesticide spraying.
How disgusting! Are stink bugs a problem where you live?
6 comments:
We have these too and I just saw my first one today. I hate them.
Goodness, I had no idea they could be such a problem. We had them in France and I always assumed they came in with the logs, there were always more around in the winter. Strangely we recently spotted some on the deck of our Rhine cruise boat. xx
Hello Pamela: Stink bugs have been around we spray them with dawn soap and a little bit of water mix, this suffocates them, we also use it for boxelders which are a problem this year, I hope they can find a solution for the stink bug problem, losing crops makes a big impact on the economy.
Catherine
In the area where I live, are years when I see it frequently and years, when I don't. But there is no year that I don't see it.
I don't know that even the crops were being damage.
Happened a few years ago. A stink bug landed in the laundry and invaded my home.
when I found it, I was surprised and threw the laundry, so the stink bug ranaway.
If remember correctly, it took about 3 hour to wrestle with the stinkbug and catch it.
They flew towards me and I ran away, Also, I was careful because it smelled bad when I touched it.
I was exhausted that day. A few days later, I had a nightmare about stinkbugs.
I really hate stinkbugs.😭
They pollute the air in Tokyo, too! I am very careful not to touch any or let one into the house. They REALLY stink.
They've been annoying in the last couple years, trying to come into the apartment and all, but I didn't know they caused such serious issues as well!
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