WEST
LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Indiana wildlife officials say a smelly,
fruit-munching insect that originated in Asia has been found in the state
for the first time.
State
entomologist Phil Marshall said an insect found in northern Indiana's
Elkhart County has been confirmed by a Purdue University laboratory as a
brown marmorated stink bug.
The discovery
is the first record of that insect in Indiana. But the invasive insect
with a marbled, streaked appearance has been found in adjacent Ohio and
Kentucky.
The stink bug
gets its name because it releases a pungent chemical as a defensive
mechanism when threatened. Officials warn that the insect could become a
serious crop pest.
It feeds on
most fruit crops, some vegetables, corn, soybeans and various ornamental
plants. The bug is a native of Japan, Korea and China and was first
reported in the United States in Pennsylvania in 1998.
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