The US Department of Agriculture is spending $5.7 million to find a “non-chemical” method for dealing with stink bugs. According to this press release from Congressman Roscoe Bartlett, the money will be used to “advance the critical effort to develop non-chemical Integrated Pest Management (IPM) controls of this invasive species, halyomorpha halys, also known as the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug or BMSB.”
"The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug poses one of the greatest threats to agriculture. Chemical solutions are just temporary fixes. It is imperative that we find a non-chemical solution so that more successful and less expensive integrated pest management controls can be reestablished in our area. Hopefully, this $5,739,966 grant will lead to development of permanent controls before BMSB populations become established in other parts of the country.”
I wonder how many Purple Pitchers you could buy for that.
