Bugs, bunnies running wild

It seems to be time for the annual wildlife roundup for this neighborhood, and this year, it can be summed up as rabbits and stink bugs. The rabbits have been active all year, and evidently, they are multiplying like … well, like rabbits. My neighbor and I keep the bird feeders filled with bird seed mix which contains a lot of corn, and although the birds are not keen on it, the rabbits thoroughly enjoy the ever-present buffet and leave their distinctive droppings to let us know they were here. They weren’t too hard on the vegetable garden this summer, as I planted late and the greens grew quickly and soon were past the seedling stage, which the bunnies enjoy so much. I took down my rabbit fence last year because it was rusty and bent, and so I was prepared for the worst. But after a few nibbles on the young runner beans and the peas, they left most of the garden alone. I give a lot of credit to next-door cat Henrietta. She is super-alert to anything that moves in her territory and probably scared them away. Which brings us to stink bugs. When Tom took out my air conditioner last week, we found 13 of them on and around the inside of the window. And that was just one window. I expect I could find a staggering number of the pests in the house, getting a nice, sheltered area picked out for the cold winter ahead. Although there were not as many as a citation in an article I read (which stated more than 26,000 were found in one house. Wonder who counted them?). The proper name for this insect is the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, or Halyomorpha halys. Like many other recent pests arriving in this country, they are believed to have come from China or Japan in packing crates. They first were identified in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in 1998, and have spread westward as far as Illinois. They also have been found in Oregon. In Asia, the bugs typically have four generations a year, but generally, in the U.S., there only is one. An exception was 2010, when a warm summer enabled them to produce two additional generations. The population is growing rapidly, as we all know. The stink bug is an agricultural pest with a particular liking for peaches, apples, cherries, pears, raspberries and soybeans. When feeding on fruit, the bug inserts its proboscis under the skin and feeds. This feeding causes a necrotic area on the surface, which spoils the appearance and possibly transmits pathogens. Their forays into homes and other buildings simply are to find shelter in cold weather. They hope to hibernate there without causing damage and will look for a way out in the spring. The best weapon against the stink bug is said to be the vacuum cleaner. Just sweep them up and seal and dispose of the bag. Do not attack stink bugs with pesticides unless the can is labeled for them. A few mornings this summer revealed the scent of a passing skunk, but other than that, and a multitude of sparrows, my only other wildlife visitor was a lone Japanese beetle. Let us count our blessings! Janet Del Turco is a local gardener and a graduate of the Ohio State University Master Gardener program. Contact her at janetdelturco@yahoo.com