WASHINGTON — Are you worried about the tomato blight coming to town from the East Coast and wiping out your prize garden tomatoes? Worry no more. The Asian stink bug could beat the blight to Kansas and wipe your tomatoes out before the blight does. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said the brown marmorated stink bug is moving from the East Coast into the Midwest and is infiltrating into the Great Plains. USDA bug researcher Tracy Leskey said there’s more to the pungent pest than its offensive odor; it’s been known to strip orchards and grain fields bare. She said the shield-shaped bugs also like to eat tomatoes, peppers, fruits and soybeans, then swarm into your house for the winter. The bugs have no natural enemies and chemical warfare against them is expensive, she said. She said if you see one, don’t stomp on it. This stink bug earns its name.
Wednesday, March 30, 8 a.m.
