Summer is when the lychee giant stink bugs are most active. The stinky fluid jet they squirt causes a burning sensation of the skin or even a skin ulcer. The Agriculture Bureau of Taichung City Hall has sent official mail to all the Farmer’s Associations and local administration offices and demands a thorough demonstration on defending stink bugs with safe chemicals. The Agriculture Bureau also suggests that everyone be alert when participating in outdoor activities. Do not disturb the stink bug when finding one; instead, stay away as soon as possible. If the stink bugs have squirted liquid to your skin, wash it off immediately with fresh water. Go to the hospital as soon as possible if it is necessary.

The lychee giant stink bugs usually dwells on lychee trees and longan trees. Their larvae are bright red color with white stripes. The adult bugs look like a brownish yellow shield. They consume nectar or sap with their sucking mouthparts, which results in flowers, fruits and twigs withering.
According to the Agriculture Bureau, the lychee giant stink bugs usually cause damage to lychee trees and longan trees. However, the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine, Council of Agriculture, discovered that the population of the lychee giant stink bugs has been spreading all over Taiwan, causing damage to not only lychee trees and longan trees, but also to roadside trees, especially to the Taiwanese Rain Trees, which are common roadside trees in Taiwan.

In order to minimize the stink bugs’ damage to the crops, the Agriculture Bureau has asked all the Farmer’s Association and local Administration Offices to promote the safe pesticides recommended by the Bureau when defending lychee giant stink bugs, so as to avoid harming the crops and to human body while terminating the bugs.

The Agriculture Bureau will resort to biological prevention, cooperating with Miaoli District Agricultural Research and Extension Station. They plan to raise Anastatus Japonicus in Taiping District, Dali District and other planting areas of lychee and longan. Anastatus Japonicus is a kind of bee that would parasitize the eggs of the stink bugs so that the eggs would not hatch. In this way, the stink bug population will decrease.

The epidemic of lychee giant stink bugs is more serious than that of past years. The bugs will not attack humans, but they will squirt jets of stinky fluid when disturbed. When someone touches the fluid accidentally, they will feel a burning sensation on their skin or even suffer a skin ulcer. People could be blinded if the bugs squirt fluid to their eyes.

The Agriculture Bureau calls for caution. Stay away from the lychee giant stink bugs. If the stink bugs squirts liquid to your skin, wash it off immediately with fresh water. People have different resilience against the stinky fluid. Some people may have redness and swollen skin, while other people might feel itchy. In that case, go to a dermatologists immediately for proper care.