Call to BMSB action

28 April 2022

We’ve encouraged more New Zealanders than ever before to look out for Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB).

The joint summer campaign between Biosecurity New Zealand and industry partners including KVH, ran for 22 weeks, from 23 September 2021 to 19 February 2022.

The campaign aimed to increase public awareness of the invasive pest and to inform people what to do if they find one. It focused especially on gardeners and online shoppers using online ads and videos.

The results were better than any of the previous joint BMSB campaigns, which have been running since 2014. The ads were displayed 18,087,355 times, giving people several opportunities to view and engage with the messages. There were 68,413 clicks through to BMSB information online, and there were 375,496 completed views of the campaign’s YouTube videos. There were particularly high levels of engagement from the targeted audiences.

There was also a survey undertaken late last year to measure the extent of BMSB awareness in the community. The survey showed 29% of the public were aware of BMSB. Awareness was higher than pea weevil (19%) and fall army worm (17%) but lower than Queensland Fruit Fly (66%) and gypsy moth (51%), both of which have seen high-profile eradication responses in New Zealand.

Interestingly, the study showed general awareness of BMSB increased to 35% when prompted with an image of the bug. The research will help shape future BMSB campaigns, starting with another one for the winter.