Brown marmorated stink bug
Pest ranking based on the KVH risk matrix
| Likelihood of entry | Likelihood of establishment | Production impacts | Market access impacts |
| High | Medium | High |
Very low |
The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) is the kiwifruit industry’s second-most unwanted biosecurity threat after fruit flies; and the risk of it entering New Zealand is considered extreme.
The BMSB is able to hitchhike on inanimate objects such as cars and shipping containers. If it were to enter New Zealand it would have no problem establishing due to New Zealand’s highly suitable climate and abundance of host material. Its entry and establishment would result in significant production impacts to many horticultural industries.
The high risk and potential consequence of BMSB have made it a priority for biosecurity readiness activities for both KVH and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).
BMSB preparedness
KVH is working with Zespri, MPI and the wider kiwifruit industry to ensure we are all prepared for BMSB, if it were to arrive and establish here. This includes running regular simulation exercises, hosting workshops, and developing joint workplans for how we would manage an incursion and long term response.
Read the BMSB Readiness Plan (A) for information about how the industry is ready for a New Zealand incursion. Read the BMSB Readiness Plan (B) for information about long term management considerations should BMSB establish in New Zealand.
Read the BMSB kiwifruit growers guide to long-term management. The guide outlines all the things growers should do on-orchard and how to do them when managing BMSB long-term.
In August 2018 the New Zealand horticulture industry welcomed the Environmental Protection Authority’s (EPA) decision allowing the release of a tiny Samurai Wasp into New Zealand, if ever there was an incursion of the BMSB. Read the media release here.
KVH and Zespri have recently designed a useful infographic tool for growers. It encourages growers to cast their eye into a possible future where BMSB has arrived in New Zealand and all response/eradication efforts have failed. What long-term management of the bug might look like on-orchard; factors to consider into future planning; and the times of the year each is most appropriate, is summarised in the infographic here.
- Hear from Ruud 'Bug Man' Kleinpaste, who explains the impacts BMSB would have on all New Zealanders.
- Read a feature article the New Yorker magazine published about the impacts BMSB is having on homes and lifestyles in the USA.
- Listen to a podcast from Newsroom New Zealand telling the BMSB story - and history - in very entertaining detail.
- Watch a video about the impacts BMSB has had on kiwifruit orchards in Italy.
- Watch a video about the the social impacts BMSB is having on homeowners in the USA.
BMSB monthly risk update - latest information about finds and surveillance activities.
Chinese translations of impacts of BMSB - publication of biosecurity risks from stink bugs to New Zealand kiwifruit identified in Chinese language literature.
BMSB control with traps - a visual guide to results of international research comparing four different trap designs in attracting BMSB.
BMSB in Chile - a report on BMSB being detected in Santiago, Chile for the first time.
BMSB research update August 2020 - an update on research commissioned by KVH and Zespri to improve understanding of the BMSB's impact in kiwifruit orchards.
BMSB biocontrol update August 2020 - an update on research commissioned by KVH and Zespri to improve understanding and optimise use of biocontrol for managing BMSB in kiwifruit.
