They're called the skunks of the insect world, but for the most part, western conifer seed bugs are all buzz and no bite.
Welcome to this week’s edition of Something Wild. I’m Rosemary Conroy for the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests.
BZZZZZZZZZZZZ.
That’s the sound that introduced us to our first western conifer seed bug as it careened about our living room a few winters ago. You know, those half inch long tan insects that started showing up in your house in recent years.
This somewhat intimidating-looking member of the stink bug family is, in fact, all buzz and no bite. Personally, I think it looks rather snazzy — its shield-shaped body sports a rather trendy geometric design and its hind legs flare out with tiny leaf-like accoutrements. Quite chic for a bug!
For some reason we named our tiny houseguest “Georgina.†Like all of her kind, Georgina was a fairly inept flyer with a penchant for light bulbs. We wouldn’t see her for days until she would suddenly startle us with a noisy fly-by and cause the cat-shaped lumps on the couch to twitch a whisker. We all left her alone.
One reason for our discretion is that stink bugs are the skunks of the insect world. If you provoke one by mishandling or squishing it, be prepared to pay a small price. Of course, their foul smell does not quite rise to the level, so to speak, of our striped four-footed friends. But most bug squashers know these insects are well named.
But other than some olfactory unpleasantness, these bumbling bugs are quite harmless to humans. As their specific name implies, western conifer seed bugs prey upon the cones of pines, spruce, and hemlock. (And they first appeared on the other side of the Mississippi.) No one knows how they became established in the U.S., but they seem to be here to stay.
You can evict them quite easily, but eventually, they will disappear come spring. But don’t worry — I’m pretty sure Georgina’s relatives will be tapping their feelers on your windows again come fall.
Something Wild is a joint production of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, New Hampshire Audubon, and New Hampshire Public Radio.
For Something Wild, I’m Rosemary Conroy.
