Hungarian scientists are working on a cure against stink bugs

Stink bug invasion no longer needs to be introduced: these bugs can be found everywhere we go. Unfortunately, experts still do not know about any natural predators that would eat these bugs. The Plant Protection Institute’s researchers at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences are working on an effective stink bug trap and several other methods.

We have written before, that green stink bugs and shield bugs are a significant problem in Hungary. Although these bugs are harmless to people, they cause severe damage to our plants, fruits and vegetables. The best weapon against these bugs is physical destruction, regular cleaning and mosquito nets, but they still can be found everywhere.

According to 24.hu, several alternative methods are being created. Experts are trying to find these bugs’ parasites, hoping that they would help to destroy the future stink bug population.

Another efficent method would be stink bugs’ favourite plants. These plants are not useful for the agriculture. To protect our agriculture plants, experts would plant these useless ones among agriculture ones, so the bugs would eat those, instead of our cereals, fruits and vegetables.

The third method is the examination of the bugs’ natural habitat and those places where they hide during the winter. Experts would create an artificial one, which looks the same as the natural one, but it would be a trap for stink bugs to make their destruction much easier.

Jenő Konstchán, the institute’s director said that the prototypes of these traps would be ready by 2020 with the financial support of GINOP (Innovation Operational Programme for agriculture).

Source: 24.hu