Invasive stink bug makes province's apple growers nervous

Aninvasive insect is feedingits way across Canada and could soonbe making an appearance inNew Brunswick, which has apple growers fearing for their crops.

The brownmarmoratedstink bug has been feasting onfruit crops in Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia. Now, researchers expect the species to move intoneighbouring provinces.

The bug, which originates in Asia,has "piercing, sucking mouth parts," similar to a straw, which allows it to piercethe skin of a fruit and turn the flesh into a smoothie itcan suck back up, said entomologist SuzanneBlattofAgriculture andAgri-foodCanada.

Scientists and agriculture experts have been on the lookout for the invasive species since 2012.

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"Our climate's changing a bit, so we're getting insects that are normally more south coming north," said Chuck Everett ofEverett Family Orchard in Island View, just outside Fredericton.

Everett said the movement of the stink bug is being monitored carefully, and apple growers are hopeful it won't be devouring their applesanytime soon.

His family farm has been busy takingprecautionary measures, short of spraying, to prevent the insects from getting into crops.

"We keep our orchard very neat you have to come up with every technique that doesn't lean to product application."

The stink bug feeds on a wide variety of crops, including tomatoes, peaches, corn, plums, sweet cherries, grapes, blueberries and raspberries. It can get into houses and tries to keep predators away with an unpleasant smell.

The consumer doesn't want an apple or a peach that has that sunken, bruised look to it.- Suzanne Blatt, research entomologist

Blattsaid thebug doesn't rip open the fruit's skin, and all of the damage occursunder the skin's surface, she said.

Afterward, the skin will sink, making the fruit appearbruised. Thefruit is still edible, Blatt said, but the area where the insect has injected intothe fruit will be a bit spongier and will lack thetypical firmness.

The fruit is hard to sell because it will look like it's rotting. The impact is even greater with smaller fruit.

"The consumer doesn't want an apple or a peach that has that sunken, bruised look to it," she said.

"Your whole sink would look like a bad case of acne."

Blatt said growers would have to be invaded by a lot of stink bugs to lose an entire crop. But even a threat to 20 to 30 per cent of crops would be serious.

New Brunswickwill likely see it

The insecthas been travelling to Canada fromthe United States, "hitchhiking on a long-haultruckor coming home with a tourist" from infected areas such as Pennsylvania or Kentucky.

The insect travelled into the States in 1999 and took about 10 years to adapt. It has spread across all of the States with the exception of Alaska and Hawaii, she said.

"We're expecting it to spread from those locations into the neighbouring provinces," saidBlatt. "New Brunswick will likely see it."

In the U.S., harsh sprays and pesticides have been used to prevent the species from showing up, Blatt said.

"Canada doesn't have that toolkit," she said.

Instead, researchers are looking for biological control methods to prevent the insect from spreading once it reaches the Atlantic provinces.

The region may have the advantage now, sincethebrownmarmoratedstink bug thrives in extreme heat and affected by the length of day, Blatt said. In Canada, she said, days are already getting shorter in July, and the insectsshut down their reproduction and move into wintering mode.

"It has the ability to damage a lot of [crops]," she said.