"Stink Bugs Challenge Bed Bugs as Year's Worst Pest"

"WILMINGTON, Del. - From Virginia to New York, this is the year of the stink bug.

The harmless insects less than the size of a dime get their name from scent glands under their wings and abdomen. When disturbed, they can release a smell that some call musty, others say is burnt almonds - a protection from predators. The smell spreads when their wings move.

'I don't even want to be in the backyard,' said Maureen Mulvena of Bear, Del.

The other night, Mulvena thought her husband was burning something in the kitchen. But that wasn't the case. The smell - almost like an electrical fire - was so intense the couple crawled around on the floor trying to figure out if something was burning inside the walls.

And then, they found it. A dead stink bug, fried on top of a halogen light bulb.

The University of Delaware Cooperative Extension Service in Newark has received dozens of calls from homeowners seeking advice about what to do to combat the bugs."

Molly Murray REPORTS for the Wilmington News Journal September 27, 2010.

SEE ALSO:

"Invasion of Stink Bugs Has Homeowners, Farmers Seeking Relief" (Washington Post)