A Match Made In Heaven

A Match Made In Heaven first appeared on backyardbugpatrol.com.

A nuisance plant and a nuisance bug that go well together. A case where nature is taking its course and using one pest to impede the other. I’m talking about the brown marmorated stink bug and the invasive Tree-of-Heaven. Here’s an article about why they are a match made-in heaven.

Do stink bugs control weeds? 
Entomologists such as Cornell University’s Peter Jentsch are heartened that this otherwise nuisance tree has some value as a diversionary tool to draw stink bugs away from damaging farm crops, such as soybeans and apples.

Anything that keeps the bugs away from our crops is a good thing, however, this plant pest seems to have a mind of its own. It can pretty much grow anywhere, in any situation, which in turn, could attract more stink bugs. Talking of stink…it also smells too. Here’s a video with more information about the plant that certainly doesn’t represent its heavenly name.

Before we dispose of these plants its important that we correctly identify that it is indeed Tree-of-Heaven. There are also other native trees and shrubs that could be confused. Here’s a further article, so that you can familiarize yourself.

The Unessential Ailanthus altissima

This non-native Asian imported tree will rapidly grow to 70 to 100 feet in height and produces an open canopy. Broken stems smell of rancid peanut butter, and male trees reportedly smell worse than females.

So with many things in common, particularly an unpleasant smell, these two pests compliment each other with both positive and negative results for us. The plant keeps the bugs from our crops, but the invasive nature, means more of it, and equally attracts more bugs. Not the best form of natural stink bug control, so make sure you’ve protected yourself this season and have a control program in place.