'They have piercing, sucking mouths' and could be bound for Nova Scotia

Nova Scotians are being asked to stay on the lookout for an agricultural pest called the brown marmorated stink bug that's known to turn perfectly good fruit "into a smoothie."

The invasive insect has the potential to destroy apple, peach and pear crops, soft-skinned fruits like tomatoes, and vegetables.

"They have piercing, sucking mouth parts like a big straw," said Suzanne Blatt,an entomologist with Agriculture andAgri-FoodCanada.

"They poke the straw through the flesh of the fruit and go down below the skin, turn whatever flesh is underneath that skin into a smoothie. Then, they suck it back up."

Nova Scotia bound?

Established populations have been found in Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia. While not detected in Nova Scotia yet, Blatt saidit's only a matter of time before the transient bugsmake an appearance.

In 2015, scientists were able to trace one that made its way from the U.S. to P.E.I.

"It was a long-haul trucker who was travelling up through the Eastern Seaboard of the United States," said Blatt.

"The insect hitchhiked onto his clothes or his vehicle and he found it when he got home to Prince Edward Island."

Gobbling up apples

Originally from Asia, the bug only appeared in the U.S.withinthe last 20 years or so.

It caused theapple industry in that countryto suffer a production loss of$37 million in 2010, saidAgriculture Canada.

That's because once the bug has chowed down on an apple,acrater-likebrown spot forms on the fruit's flesh, making it impossible for farmers to sell.

This year, 43 states reported having the insects and they'reslowly making theirway into Canada.

"If we have a warmer spring, they will reach their reproductive capacity quickerin their development and they will start reproducing," said Blatt.

Searching for a predator

The longer it stays warm, the greater chance the population will grow.

Controlling the potentially destructive insect is not easy.Parasitoid wasps found in Asia are the bug's only enemies.The U.S. is trying to import the predator, butBlatt saidthey're approaching it differently in Canada.

"We're looking for related species of parasitoid [wasp]which are known to affect the eggs of the brown marmorated stink bug," she said.

"We're looking to see if they'll transfer, or host switch from the native stink bugs that we have in Canada onto the brown marmorated."

Once a similar predator is found in Canada, Blatt saidit will be released in affected areas across the country in hopes of keeping the stink bug population down.

Spot alittle stinker? Here's what to do:

Agriculture Canada wants people to keep an eye out for stink bugs. Blatt saidthey've likely spent the winter in homes or storage sheds and will start making their way outside this spring.

Distinctive white bandings on the legs and antennae, as well asinward-pointing white triangles between dark markings along the edge of the abdomen distinguish the brown marmorated from other stink bugs.

If people find the bug, Blatt said they cantake itto the Kentville Research and Development Centre or the Nova Scotia Museum.

"Or if you can't make the journey, simply get a good picture focusing on the antennae and the legs so that we can see the colour and then we'll have the information we can use to determine whether it likely is the brown marmorated," she said.