KVH, Biosecurity New Zealand and other key industry players travelled to the Hawke’s Bay earlier this week to take part in a stink bug incursion simulation.

The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) exercise was a great face-to-face reunion for primary sector biosecurity managers based in growing regions across the country and provided an opportunity to collectively check current BMSB response plans through a full day simulation.

The exercise involved looking at the practicalities of sites where BMSB may be detected, both rural and urban, and the implications of spraying with current technology.

The team also headed out to a Plant & Food Research orchard, where they were treated to an on-orchard BMSB trap demonstration that gave everyone the opportunity to set up their own trap in an apple orchard and use beating sticks to inspect nearby trees for any possible BMSB (can confirm none were found!).

KVH works closely with Zespri and the wider kiwifruit industry to ensure we are all prepared for BMSB, including running exercises like this one, hosting workshops, and developing joint work plans for how we would manage and incursion and long-term response.

More information about how the industry is ready for a New Zealand incursion is available on the KVH website here. We also have a great, short video about BMSB monitoring technologies and techniques here.