Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB)

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 is marmolated stink bug, named for the unpleasant odour it gives off when it feels threatened, which is produced in a gland in its abdomen. This smell is thought to help protect it from predators.

Some distinguishing features in its adult stage are the white bands 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. It also has black spots on the back of the wings and the adult size is 17mm.

At the onset of cold weather, this insect seeks shelter to spend the autumn and winter months, entering 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 early.

This insect prefers plants with fruiting structures, so in its adult stage it feeds on fruit, while the nymphs feed on stems, leaves and fruit. In addition, it is often seen seeking shelter in vehicles and cargo containers.

Although not a threat to humans, one of the main problems with 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 the insect.

Fumigation

One of the treatments used to eradicate BMSB pests is fumigation with sulphuryl fluoride, a toxic gas with high insecticidal power, rapid diffusion in the air and short exposure time. The dosage is carried out with the help and supervision of the FUMIGUIDETM software. This dosing tool for precision fumigation is based on four dependent and interrelated factors: the pest species, the temperature, the exposure time and the 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 the appropriate sensitivity to measure the Ambient Limit Values (ALV) and to allow access to the premises or rooms treated. 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 details and exporter’s details.

Insecticidal control by heat shock
Thermal shock control consists of injecting hot air from specific thermal generators, powered by electricity or diesel. The hot air generators are located outside the area to be treated and, through the pre-installation of specific ducts for the diffusion and homogenisation 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 area. Therefore, in this case, toxic gases would not 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 temperature changes, a gradual cooling must be carried out for those materials that may undergo significant expansion during heating (especially metals).
• CERTIFICATION: Issue 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 details and exporter’s details.

Products falling under the following tariff classifications have been classified as high risk target products 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, IV
• 73 – Articles of iron or steel
• 74 – Copper and articles thereof
• 75 – Nickel and articles thereof
• 76 – Aluminium 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 image and sound recorders and reproducers, and parts and accessories of the aforesaid articles
• 86 – Railway or tramway locomotives, rolling stock and parts thereof; railway or tramway track fixtures and fittings and parts thereof; mechanical (including electro-mechanical) traffic signalling equipment of all kinds. 87-Vehicles other than railway or tramway rolling stock, their parts and accessories 88-Aircraft, spacecraft and parts thereof 89-Ships, boats and floating structures

Information extracted from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries anf Foresty of Australian Government.

Products falling within the following tariff classifications have been classified as target risk products (low risk) and will not require compulsory treatment. However, targeted risk products will be subject to further intervention on the ground 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, of rare-earth metals, of radioactive elements or of isotopes, including subchapters I, II, III, IV, V
• 29 – Organic chemicals, including Subchapters I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XII and XIII
• 31 – Fertilisers
• 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, newspapers, pictures, photographs and other products of the printing industry; manuscripts, typescripts and plans
• 56 – Wadding, felt and non-wovens; special yarns; twine, cordage, ropes and cables and articles thereof

Information extracted from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries anf Foresty of Australian Government.

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

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

The BMSB seasonal measures should apply to all high-risk goods manufactured in or shipped from target risk countries, which have been shipped between 1 September and 30 April (inclusive), as well as to ships berthing, loading or transhipping from target risk countries within the same period.

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

• BMSB Valencia
• BMSB Valladolid
• BMSB Zaragoza
• BMSB Sevilla
• BMSB Tarragona
• BMSB Galicia

For the 2024-2025 season, several updates to the BMSB measures have been implemented by the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. The most relevant developments 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 sets out the conditions for the regulation of pre-border biosecurity treatment providers.
• The BMSB season for marine shipments to Australia is 1 September 2024 to 30 April 2025.
• For New Zealand, the BMSB season runs until 31 May 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 Spain).
• Heat treatment time will be between 8-10 hours.
• Increased random inspections at destination are expected.
• For New Zealand, all container types (20/40/OP/OP/FR/HC) must be treated at origin.

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

Information from Collessyoung

Information from DSV