Overview
- Regional labs and conservation groups reported increased indoor sightings this weekend as adults of both species seek warm winter quarters in attics, wall cracks and on facades.
- The brown marmorated stink bug is now widespread in the middle Neckar area and poses a proven risk to orchards and vegetable plots through feeding damage and premature fruit drop.
- The western conifer seed bug has steadily expanded across Europe over the past 25 years and is appearing in apartments, but no major economic damage from it has been recorded in Europe so far.
- Authorities advise not to touch the insects and to remove them with a glass and a piece of cardboard for release outdoors, and they warn that native brown bugs can be mistaken for invasive species.
- Farmers should watch for crop damage this season and officials say monitoring and citizen reporting will be key to tracking whether the conifer seed bug develops into a measurable threat in Europe.