Community Corner

Kudzu: The New Stink Bug?

A new critter is in the area. Kudzu bugs have been spotted in southern Maryland. And they're on the move.

But there's more: It also causes bodily harm and property damage. 

Imagine no more.  

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A new, invasive critter has found its way to the state. Take heed, Howard County: according to the University of Maryland College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the Kudzu bug has been found in five Maryland Counties so far – Anne Arundel, Calvert Charles, Prince George’s and St. Mary’s.

And it’s moving north. See the interactive map to find out where and when kudzu bugs have been spotted in Maryland. 

Find out what's happening in Ellicott Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The olive-brown bugs are less than a quarter of an inch long, according to UMD. Asian natives, kudzu bugs were first discovered in the United States in 2009 in Georgia.

“We haven’t been finding huge populations but that might be due to the fact that it’s just new here,” graduate student Alan Leslie said in a statement about kudzu bugs in Maryland. 

“The potential is there for (the kudzu bug) to be an economic pest but now that we know for sure it’s here, we’ll have to do further studies and figure out how big of an impact it will have.”

The bugs are named after their primary food source, kudzu vines. Like the bugs, the vines are also invasive. And successfully so. Kudzu bugs likely won't go hungry any time soon, as a few years ago, kudzu was named "Invader of the Month in 2008 by the Maryland Invasive Species Council

After taking care of the kudzu vines, the bugs move on to soybeans and other beans – a problem for farmers. 

They’re a problem for the rest of us, too. When squashed, the bugs not only release an “unpleasant odor,” according to UMD, but they can irritate skin and leave stains on the walls they’re squashed on. 

In the fall, "unpleasant" can turn into downright disgusting. According to kudzu.org, a University of Georgia website, kudzu bugs love cracks. “Any cracks,” (emphasis not added). That means trees, yes, but also in the siding of homes. They also go for high places, like gutters and they like light-colored surfaces. “Especially  the color white,” (again, emphasis kudzu.org's). 

The white siding on your house? Your white car? Your white shirt? All look like home to the kudzu. 

Traditionally, kudzu bugs reproduce on legumes, but according to the University of Georgia, when their numbers are high, they wind up on whatever vegetation is available, including oak and pine trees, tomato plants, azaleas – you name it, they’re on it.

So what, exactly are we in for? A great insect war between stink bugs and kudzu bugs? Kudzu bugs stains on your newly-washed white linen trousers? A decimated soybean crop? 

Or just another pest that we’ll learn to live with?

Only time will tell.

“We still don’t know the extent of the insect inside of Maryland,” Leslie wrote in a statement.  “There is concern that it has the potential to hang around and for the populations to increase but we just don’t know yet. We need to take a closer look.” 

“A closer look?” I’d rather not, thanks.


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