In the 13 years since the brown marmorated stink bug was discovered in Pennsylvania, the voracious insect has made a slow and steady march toward Virginia. It was found in the commonwealth in 2004, and it has caused millions of dollars in damage as it destroyed apples and grapes in the Shenandoah Valley, pierced soybeans in north-central fields, and sucked the proteins and carbohydrates out of corn, tomato, green bean, and pepper plants in other parts of the state.
Stink bugs were discovered in 20 counties in Virginia last year, and they are expected to continue to spread throughout the state, infecting more localities than ever before.
