Tuesday 11 November 2014

Stink bug pest 'could get to UK'

10 November 2014 Last updated at 15:19

An agricultural pest dubbed the stink bug could establish itself within the UK, according to a scientist.

Entomologist Max Barclay said it was "it is only a matter of time" before the brown marmorated stink bug arrives in the country.

Two of the insects have already been found on imported timber headed for Britain.

The bug, which is native to the Far East, has already reached France and Germany.

Mr Barclay, from London's Natural History Museum, told the Daily Mail newspaper: "'I think the brown marmorated stink bug will establish a population here. It is only a matter of time.

"It will make its presence felt fairly quickly because it comes into people's homes in the autumn and winter."

Its name comes from the putrid stench it releases from its glands when threatened.

The insect was first found in the US in the late 1990s, but has now spread across much of the country. Since then, it has become a severe pest of fruits, vegetables and ornamental plants.

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