Pest status in Australia
Brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys), commonly known as BMSB, is not currently an established pest in Australia but poses a significant biosecurity risk and is currently listed as one of the top 40 national priority plant pests. This mottled brown, shield-shaped stink bug, originating from eastern Asia, has been identified as a serious biosecurity risk to Australia because of its potential to cause damage to a wide range of crops, including wine-grapes. All significant viticultural areas in Australia fall within areas identified as suitable habitat for this pest (Streito et al. 2020). Its accidental introduction into North America and Europe has had considerable impacts on both agriculture and as a nuisance pest in urban areas. There have been several recent detections in Australia of BMSB in goods arriving from overseas but to date there has been successful containment of these detections that has prevented any wider outbreak of this pest.
If growers or winemakers think they have seen BMSB (or any other exotic pest) in the vineyard or in goods received from overseas they should phone the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline on 1800 084 881. It can be useful to take a photograph of and catch the pest to aid with identification.
More details about BMSB are available in the following pages:
For further information, please see the reference list.
Adult brown marmorated stink bug. Photo source Mohammed El Damir, Bugwood.org. Reproduced with permission.