Since about 1998, Baltimore has been besieged by insects.  We’re not talking your standard insects either, we’re talking about the Halyomorpha halys, or brown marmorated stink bug.  It’s a particularly unusual pest, since it’s one of those dangerous invasive species I’m always prattling on about.  The Asian stink bug has no natural predators in the US, so it’s growing to be a much bigger problem than normal pest control forces can deal with.

The solution, as Hank Hill once said, might be nature.  Specifically, “using nature against other forms of nature that are inconvenient to man.”  Mike Raupp, an entomologist at the University of Baltimore, believes that the only way to fight the stink bug might be to import Asian parasitic wasps to fight off the pungent pest problem.

Yeah, great idea science.  Use one species to fight off another species!  Then what?  When do you stop importing predators to fight off the things you imported to fight off the first problem?  If it can’t kill me, I don’t care.

Tags: Baltimore, Maryland, Asian stink bugs, brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys, invasive species, invading bugs, stink bugs invade from Asia, pests, importing wasps to fight stink bugs, Mike Raupp, University of Baltimore, unusual pests

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