Ward reports the widespread invasion of homes in Washington D.C. by an insect that releases a pungent smell whenever it is touched or threatened by its enemies. The insect is therefore commonly referred to as the stink bug. The author of this article highlights clarification from experts in the field of entomology to describe the stink bug as regards their invasion pattern, their potential harm, ways of handling or avoiding the insects, and general information about stink bugs.
According to Ward (para 1), stink bugs are “smelly, pesky bugs…and when you try to kill them, they just smell worse.†The author has correctly reported that stink bugs are mainly a nuisance during winter and they spread all over during the warm periods. There is, however, contradicting reporting on the reason for the bugs invading homes during the winter. While the author reports that the pests simply seek refuge and not necessarily warmth, Robinson (211) indicates that they invade houses during winter in search of warmth.
The stink bugs have accurately been identified scientifically as Halyomorpha halys, although the author has not adhered to the scientific rules of naming organisms i.e., the author has not capitalized the first letter of the genus name and has not written both the genus and species names in italics (Ward, para 4). The stink bug is a pest which is commonly known as the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug and is a Hemiptera that infests plants that bear fruits, causing damage on leaves and fruits (Denlinger & Richard, 354).
