Brown marmorated stink bug
The brown marmorated stink bug is a flat bug shaped like a shield. It is brown with marble-like patterns and has light stripes on its feelers. If you pick it up or bother it, it lets out a strong smell.
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Fun facts
Its smell has been described as a bit like the herb coriander.
The smell comes out of little holes on its underside, between its front and middle legs.
It travelled from Asia to America by hiding in packing boxes and machines.
Males and females talk to each other by making tiny shaking signals through the plant they sit on.
It lays its light green eggs in neat groups of about 28 under a leaf.
Most asked questions about Brown marmorated stink bug
?Is the brown marmorated stink bug dangerous?
No. It does not bite or sting, but its smelly juice can irritate your skin and eyes.
?Why do stink bugs smell?
The smell is how it defends itself from animals that want to eat it.
?How big is a brown marmorated stink bug?
About 17 millimetres long and almost as wide.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Halyomorpha halys
- Group
- True bugs and cicadas
- Family
- Pentatomidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Hemiptera > Pentatomidae
- Lives on
- Asia, North America, Europe, South America
Where the facts come from
- Brown marmorated stink bug (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Hectonichus. CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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