California: Grape Growers Put On Stink Bug Alert

(Wine-Searcher) - A new infestation of a stink bug in California has led to concerns that the pest could invade local vineyards, destroy crops, and leave a foul taste in the area's wines.

While the threat isn't imminent, a population of brown marmorated stink bug (BSMB) has been discovered in a Sacramento neighborhood – the first time the bug has been found outside Los Angeles County. An outreach adviser from the University of California's agriculture division (UCANR), Chuck Ingels, described it as "the worst invasive pest" ever encountered in the state.

Ingels is asking growers to be on the lookout for the stink bugs. "Because they are strong fliers, it's just a matter of time before they reach farms," he said. The pest can fly up to half a mile at a time and also travels long distances by hitching rides in vehicles or inside furniture or other articles when they are moved, often during winter months, reports UCANR.

Ingels said there was no danger to this year's grape harvest and a major threat is also unlikely in 2014. However, he was in no doubt that "their populations will grow over time."

The stink bug feeds on a myriad of crops, from apples and corn to tomatoes and grapes. "In grapes, berries collapse and rot increases," said UCANR. "Wine tasters have been able to detect stink bug odor in wines made from grapes that had 10 bugs in a 35-pound lug [crate]."

The pest releases its pungent smell through holes in its abdomen as a defense mechanism; Ingels describes a strong odor that is reminiscent of "something awful mixed with cilantro."

The BMSB is native to China, Japan and Korea. Its presence in the United States was first documented in 2001 in Pennsylvania, but it's thought to have arrived several years earlier. UNCAR estimates that the bug is now established in at least 15 states and there have been occasional sightings in over a dozen more. 

Despite the damage that the BMSB can do to crops, Ingels reports that "there is no funding to attempt to eradicate it, nor is there a mandate to do so."