Can stink bugs (nine-fragrance bugs) be eaten? Are they pests or beneficial insects? How do you get rid of stink bugs at home?

In rural areas you sometimes come across a very smelly insect about the size of a fingernail, which everyone calls the stink bug or fart bug. It is commonly found on ailanthus, elm, and mulberry trees. So can stink bugs be eaten? Are they pests or beneficial insects? How do you get rid of stink bugs at home?

The scientific name of the stink bug is “stink bug”, also called “true bug”; in the family Pentatomidae, these bugs have an opening for their stink glands behind the fart body, and release a foul odor when they encounter an enemy. They are widely distributed, mostly in Henan, Shandong, Hebei, Anhui and other areas, and are most numerous in summer; they are pests. I remember as a child they were almost everywhere - vegetable plots, rice paddies, fruit trees, grass - as long as there was a green plant, you could see them. If you accidentally touched one, it would release an extremely foul “fart”, and people generally kept their distance from it. If its urine accidentally got on your skin, it would be a burning, fiery pain; if not treated in time, redness and swelling could appear, and even skin ulceration.

Can stink bugs be eaten? How much per jin?

It is said that the “stink bug” is an authentic traditional dish; for thousands of years, ordinary people have believed it can “strengthen the body and build health, nourish yin and tonify yang”. In spring and summer, it climbs on the stems and leaves of crops and sucks the sap, giving it nine-fragrance bug oil; once stir-fried, it becomes a fragrant, delicious medicinal delicacy that cures illness and prolongs life, and so it has also won the fine name ‘nine-fragrance bug’. Fresh bugs rose from more than 10 yuan per jin 10 years ago to about 100 to 150 yuan this year. A check online shows dried goods are about 200~500 yuan per jin, and in restaurants a plate of two liang of deep-fried “stink bugs” costs at least 50 yuan, and more than 100 yuan at most. I never imagined the “stink bug” would actually be worth so much!

Medicinally, the stink bug has the effects of regulating qi and relieving pain, warming the middle and assisting yang. It is mainly used to treat kidney deficiency and impotence, sore waist and knees, cold-stomach distension and pain, liver-stomach qi pain and other conditions.

Doctors warn: no insects should be eaten in large amounts

Doctors explain that the nine-fragrance bug is mostly used as a medicinal guide in traditional Chinese medicine, with effects such as nourishing yin, tonifying the kidney, and strengthening yang; it is more prevalent in Guangxi, Guizhou, and Yunnan. The correct way to eat it is to first scald it to death with boiling water, then soak it in alcohol, and take no more than three at a time.

How do you get rid of stink bugs?

(1) Manual control: adults and nymphs mostly rest on the leaves or fruit on the outer edge of the canopy in the morning and evening or in rainy weather, so they can be caught and killed in the morning or evening when the dew has not dried and they are inactive. Eggs are mostly laid on the leaf surface in egg masses, very easy to find; during the egg-laying period of adults from May to August, inspect the citrus orchard thoroughly and remove the egg masses in time. However, if a black ring is found under the egg cap, it means the egg has been parasitized by a parasitic wasp, and it should be kept in the field and protected so it can reproduce naturally, increasing the number of parasitic wasps in the citrus orchard.

(2) Biological control: stink bugs have many natural enemies; among the known ones are weaver ants, parasitic wasps, mantises, spiders and many others, which should be protected and used.

(3) Chemical control: if the insect population is too large and cannot be solved entirely by manual control, spray with a 1000-fold dilution of 80% dichlorvos emulsion or an 800~1000-fold dilution of 90% trichlorfon crystals. If some pine-alkali mixture is added to the trichlorfon solution, the control effect can be improved; it is even better if control can be carried out during the first and second instar nymph stages.

How do you get rid of stink bugs at home?

1. Infestation survey: signs of bed bug infestation include fecal traces, blood stains from bed bugs, live bed bugs, etc. Use a needle-probing method combined with visual inspection to check suspicious harborage sites (cracks in bed frames, walls, ceilings, tables and chairs, mattresses, etc.) for signs of bed bug infestation; in severe infestation sites, the bed bug odor can be smelled;

2. Environmental control: the purpose of environmental control is to eliminate breeding conditions, that is, tidy up indoor sanitation, clear away clutter, and seal cracks in bed boards, walls, palm matting and other places where bed bugs easily breed with lime or putty; wallpaper with bed bug breeding must be torn down and burned;

3. Physical control

1) Manual capture: tap bed frames, bed boards, tables and chairs, mattresses, etc. to shake the bed bugs down and kill them, or use a needle or wire to pick out the bed bugs from cracks and kill them;

2) Boiling water scalding: bed bugs cannot tolerate high temperatures; boiling water can be used to scald all eggs and adults to death. Bed frames, bed boards and other items with bed bug breeding can be moved outdoors, and the spout of a kettle filled with boiling water aimed at the cracks, moved slowly to scald them, making sure the cracks reach a high temperature to scald the bed bugs and their eggs to death; clothing and mosquito nets with bed bug breeding can be soaked in boiling water;

3) Sun exposure: for clothing that cannot be scalded or soaked in boiling water, put it under strong sunlight for 1-4 hours and turn it over, so the bed bugs die from the high temperature or crawl out and are killed;

4) Prevent spread: in places with bed bug activity, luggage, furniture and other items being moved (relocated or bought and sold) must be strictly inspected and treated to prevent bed bugs from being carried and causing spread.

4. Chemical control: this is the most direct and effective method, and also a mainstream method; the general procedure is:

1) When using sprays, consider your own personal safety, wear a mask, and keep the room that has been sprayed temporarily closed and do not enter or leave at will;

2) When using sprays, be thorough, that is, apply the product in every place where bed bugs have appeared or may appear.