BMSB: Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

BMSB treatment for exports: secure access to markets such as Australia and New Zealand

ROCA DEFISAN, approved company for the control of BMSB

On ROCA DEFISAN we are a fumigation and pest control company with extensive international with extensive international experience. We are officially approved for the treatment against BMSB (Brown Marmorated Stink Bug) by the Australian government (AEI code ES4004SB), which allows us to apply recognized and valid treatments in exports to Australia and New Zealand.

Both countries have established very strict protocols for the importation of goods from classified risk areas, including Europe. The detection of BMSB at destination can lead to detention, mandatory treatment or even the return of the cargo, which entails significant economic losses for exporters. For this reason, it is essential to have authorized treatment carried out by professionals.

What is BMSB and why should it be treated?

The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) is an agricultural pest originating in Asia that has spread rapidly throughout Europe, causing serious crop damage and generating phytosanitary risk in third countries. This species has a great capacity for dispersal and resistance, which makes it a potential threat in non-endemic environments. For this reason, countries such as Australia and New Zealand require treatments prior to the arrival of goods during the risk season.

Treatments available against BMSB

From our fumigation and pest control company, we offer several effective and compliant we offer several effective solutions in compliance with international regulations for BMSB treatment:

ProFume® gas treatment

One of the most effective and internationally recognized methods. ProFume® is a non-corrosive fumigant, specially designed to treat goods in closed containers. It works by eliminating all life forms of BMSB (eggs, nymphs and adults) without damaging the product or leaving residues.

Profume

Heat treatment (heat shock)

For certain types of goods or packaging, the heat treatment heat treatment can be the most effective and environmentally friendly alternative. We apply controlled and monitored temperatures in chambers or containers, guaranteeing the complete elimination of the insect without compromising the integrity of the product.

Both treatments are carried out with certified equipment, by specialized and authorized technical personnel, following the protocols required by the destination governments.

Treatments in all Spanish ports

We offer our BMSB treatment services in all ports in Spain, ensuring speed, logistical coordination and regulatory compliance. From the initial inspection to the issuance of the official treatment certificate, we take care of the entire process.

If you are not sure if your product should be treated for BMSB or you need personalized advice, do not hesitate to contact our technical team. We will help you verify if your goods fall within the treatment requirements and we will design the most appropriate protocol according to the type of cargo, destination and time of year.

BMSB Service Dossier

BMSB treatment

BMSB is an insect belonging to the family Pentatomidae of the order Hemiptera. It is a bedbug of Asian origin. The English translation of its name would be marmolated stink bug, a name it receives due to the unpleasant odor it gives off when it feels threatened and which is produced in a gland in its abdomen. It is believed that this odor helps protect it from predators.

Some distinctive features in its adult stage are the white bands present on antennae and legs, as well as the absence of humeral spines and the presence of alternating dark and light bands on the outline of its abdomen. In addition, it has black spots on the back of the wings and the adult size is 17 mm.

At the onset of cold weather this insect seeks refuge to spend the autumn and winter months, initiating a phase of inactivity known as diapause. When spring begins, they become active again, although there are occasions when, if there is a sufficiently long period of warm weather in autumn or winter, they may become confused and become active before their time.

This insect prefers plants with fruiting structures, so in its adult stage it feeds on fruits, while the nymphs feed on stems, leaves and fruits. In addition, it is common to see it seeking refuge in vehicles and cargo containers.

Although not a threat to people, one of the main problems of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug is its potential to spread easily, which could severely damage the agricultural industry of cities and entire countries by destroying their crops. Its invasive potential has forced those nations that have not yet been invaded to establish rigorous surveillance measures through fumigation or heat treatments.

Both Australia and New Zealand have adopted tough measures stipulating that all imported goods must be treated against this insect.

Fumigation

One of the treatments used to eradicate BMSB pests is fumigation with sulfuryl fluoride, a toxic gas with great insecticidal power, rapid diffusion in the air and short exposure time. Dosing is carried out with the help and supervision of the FUMIGUIDETM computer program. This dosing tool for precision fumigation is based on four dependent and interrelated factors: pest species, temperature, exposure time and load factor or half-life.

  • EXPOSURE TIME: 12 hours or 24 hours
  • VENTILATION TIME: To be determined by means of specific detectors for this fumigant with adequate sensitivity to measure the Ambient Limit Values (ALV) and allow access to the treated premises or enclosures. The ventilation time will depend on the particular conditions in each case: ease of ventilation, relative occupancy of absorbent materials, temperature, etc.
  • CERTIFICATION: Issuance of the corresponding fumigation certificate, according to the format and requirements of the Australian and New Zealand authorities once the ventilation process has been completed. In order to issue the certificate, the following information is required at the time of requesting the treatment: Description of the goods, number of packages, container registration number, country of destination, exporter’s data and exporter’s data.

Insecticidal control by thermal shock

Thermal shock control consists in injecting hot air from specific thermal generators, powered by electricity or diesel fuel. The hot air generators are located outside the enclosure to be treated and, through the pre-installation of specific ducts for the diffusion and homogenization of the hot air, it is distributed with the help of the generator’s own fans and others that are strategically located
inside the treatment enclosure. Therefore, in this case no toxic gases would be used as in the previous treatment.

  • EXPOSURE TIME: The exposure time foreseen by the standard is 30 minutes, however, the time necessary to reach the target temperature inside the treated materials and equipment must be considered. Depending on their mass and nature this time is variable and can be between 1-3 hours.
  • COOLING TIME: Certain materials and equipment may deteriorate due to sudden changes in temperature. Materials that may undergo significant expansion during heating (especially metals) should be cooled gradually.
  • CERTIFICATION: Issuance of the corresponding fumigation certificate, according to the format and requirements of the Australian and New Zealand authorities once the ventilation process has been completed. In order to issue the certificate, the following information is required at the time of requesting the treatment: Description of the goods, number of packages, container registration number, country of destination, exporter’s data and exporter’s data.

Products falling within the following tariff classifications have been classified as high-risk target products and will require mandatory treatment for BMSB risk. and will require mandatory treatment for BMSB risk.

  • 44 – Wood and articles of wood; wood charcoal
  • 45 – Cork and articles of cork
  • 57 – Carpets and other textile floor coverings
  • 68 – Articles of stone, plaster, cement, asbestos, mica or similar materials
  • 69 – Ceramic products – including subchapters I and II 70-Glass and glassware
  • 72 – Iron and steel -including subchapters I, II, III and IV
  • 73 – Articles of iron or steel
  • 74 – Copper and articles thereof
  • 75 – Nickel and articles thereof
  • 76 – Aluminum and articles thereof
  • 78 – Lead and articles thereof
  • 79 – Zinc and articles thereof
  • 80 – Tin and articles thereof
  • 81 – Other base metals;cermets;articles thereof
  • 82-Tools, implements, instruments, cutlery, spoons and forks, of base metal; parts thereof, of base metal
  • 83 – Miscellaneous articles of base metal
  • 84 – Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances;parts thereof 85-Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof;sound recorders and reproducers, television picture and sound recorders and reproducers, and parts and accessories of the aforesaid articles
  • 86 – Railway or tramway locomotives, rolling stock and parts thereof; railroad or tramway track fixtures and fittings and parts thereof; mechanical (including electro-mechanical) traffic signaling equipment of all kinds. 87-Vehicles other than railroad or tramway rolling stock, parts and accessories thereof 88-Aircraft, spacecraft and parts thereof 89-Ships, boats and floating structures.

Information extracted from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry of Australian Government.

Products falling under the following tariff classifications have been classified as objective risk products (low risk) and will not require mandatory treatment. However, target risk products will be subject to further ground intervention through random inspection.

  • 27 – Mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their distillation; bituminous substances; mineral waxes
  • 28 – Inorganic chemicals; organic or inorganic compounds of precious metals, rare earth metals, radioactive elements or isotopes, including subchapters I, II, III, IV and V.
  • 29 – Organic chemicals, including subchapters I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XII and XIII
  • 31 – Fertilizers
  • 38 – Miscellaneous chemical products
  • 39 – Plastics and articles thereof -including subchapters I and II
  • 40 – Rubber and articles thereof 48-Paper and paperboard; articles of paper pulp, of paper or of paperboard
  • 49 – Printed books, periodicals, newspapers, photographs and other products of the printing industry; manuscripts, typescripts and blueprints
  • 56 – Wadding, felt and nonwovens; special yarns; twine, cordage, ropes and cables and articles thereof

Information extracted from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry of Australian Government.

The following countries have been identified by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries anf Forestry of Australian Government as target risk countries:

  • Albania
  • Andorra
  • Armenia
  • Austria
  • Azerbaijan
  • Belgium
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Bulgaria
  • Canada
  • Croacia
  • Czech Republic
  • France
  • Japan (intensified vessel surveillance only).
  • Georgia
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Hungary
  • Italy
  • Kazakhstan
  • Kosovo
  • Liechtenstein
  • Luxembourg
  • North Macedonia
  • Montenegro
  • Moldavia
  • Netherlands
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Romania
  • Russia
  • Serbia
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • Spain
  • Switzerland
  • Turkey
  • Ukraine
  • United States
  • Uzbekistan

BMSB seasonal measures should be applied to all high-risk goods manufactured in or shipped from target risk countries that are shipped betweenSeptember 1 and April 30 (inclusive), as well as to ships that dock, load or transship from target risk countries within the same period.

List of Roca Defisan’s BMSB treatment ports approved by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries anf Foresty of Australian Government:

For the 2024-2025 season, several updates to BMSB measures have been implemented by the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. The most relevant updates are detailed below:

  • The Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry has introduced AusTreat, a new pre-border biosecurity treatment provider scheme. This scheme replaces the BMSB Offshore Treatment Provider Scheme.
  • AusTreat establishes the conditions for the regulation of pre-border biosafety treatment providers.
  • The BMSB season for ocean shipments to Australia is September 1, 2024 to April 30, 2025.
  • For New Zealand, the BMSB season extends until May 31, 2025.
  • The BMSB regulation is confirmed for the next 3 years, instead of being renewed annually as before.
  • All bulk, Flat Rack and Open Top goods must be treated at origin (e.g. in Spain for exports from that country).
  • The heat treatment time will be between 8-10 hours.
  • Increases in random destination inspections are expected.
  • For New Zealand, all container types (20/40/OP/OP/FR/HC) must be treated at origin.
  • As of September 1, 2024, treatments performed in BMSB target risk countries on high target risk goods manufactured in or shipped from these countries must be performed by a treatment provider registered under AusTreat.

Information extracted from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry of Australian Government.
Information extracted from Collessyoung.
Information extracted from DSV.

Secure your exports

From our fumigation and pest control company, we offer effective treatments we propose effective treatments available (in Europe) against the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug:

  • Heat treatment.
  • ProFume gas treatment for BMSB Australia.

We apply our state-of-the-art technology to the treatment of your products, eliminating both the possible insectation of BSMB and possible problems at the port of destination. Our specialized personnel is properly trained to effectively and efficiently treat your goods.

If you have any questions about whether your product to be exported should be treated for BMSB Australia, do not hesitate to consult with our team. We perform BMSB treatments in all ports of Spain.

BMSB_NuevaZelanda

New Zealand

More information on imports to New Zealand

BMSB_Australia

Australia

More information on imports to Australia

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Do you export to Australia or New Zealand?

At ROCA DEFISAN we guarantee that your products reach their destination free of BMSB, with no risk of retention or penalties. Contact us now and secure your operation with a professional and certified treatment.

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