Field Notes: Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs! (Patreon)

Hey Deep Peeps,

I’m Jenny Oh, one of the producers for Deep Look. We recently had the opportunity to travel outside of San Francisco for one of our upcoming stories, and I headed up to Oregon to film some brown marmorated stink bugs. 

Are they stinky? Well, they kind of smell like cilantro -- so if you have an aversion to this herb, you’d probably find it pretty gross. (I love it, so their aroma didn’t bother me too much.)

Researchers David Lowenstein and Heather Andrews at Oregon State University welcomed us into their lab -- where they’re rearing colonies of stink bugs and samurai wasps -- for two days of filming. Brown marmorated stink bugs are originally from Asia, and now this invasive species is an aggravating agricultural pest that’s spreading throughout the U.S.

Samurai wasps are its native enemy and also managed to hitchhike here across the ocean. These scientists at OSU and other research labs are hoping the wasps can help keep the pests in check as the females parasitize stink bug eggs; back in Asia, they destroy between 60-90% of stink bug eggs. 

Josh Cassidy, our lead producer and cinematographer, recreated an indoors environment where we could film the stink bugs since they’re normally dormant this time of year -- usually hiding inside homes to stay warm. 

We also captured some cool footage of a female samurai wasp ovipositing her eggs into a mass of stink bug eggs -- and after many patient hours, an adult wasp slowly emerging from an egg.

Stay tuned for this story -- it’ll be hatching in March!

P.S. We’d love to travel far and wide to bring you even more fascinating Deep Look stories. And if you support us at the $5 and above level by February 19, you’ll receive some sweet swag, too!