Brown marmorated stink bug

The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) is a pest that infests homes and gardens, and could ruin our fruit and vegetable industries. It’s not in New Zealand yet, and we want to keep it that way.

If established in New Zealand, BMSB could be a major public nuisance: in colder months they hibernate inside homes in large numbers, and they stink when crushed. They feed on a range of fruit and vegetables including apples, citrus, stone fruit, corn and other valuable crops. BMSB could cause massive damage to our horticulture industries. And they can’t be easily treated with insecticides.

BMSB has already spread from Asia to the US and Europe, and we’ve caught it before at the border, in passenger bags and imported cargo. But we need your help to keep it out.

Keep an eye out in your garden for these bugs. Adults are about the size of a 10c coin, with black and white banding on the antennae and abdomen. Eggs are light green, barrel shaped, and found in clusters of 20-30.

If you see one, catch it, take a photograph and call the MPI’s pest hotline on 0800 80 99 66.

For more information: mpi.govt.nz/stinkbug