Utilizing the power of the masses to examine invasive insect migration

The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys, is a major invasive pest of multiple agricultural and ornamental crops in the mid-Atlantic region. Although its main concern is as an agricultural pest, it can become a nuisance pest by invading homes when it searches for overwintering sites. Crowdsourcing as a method of data collection has become a useful tool to gather large amounts of data, especially over a wide geographic range. In my studies, I have used mapping to examine data collected from homeowner reports of initial sightings of brown marmorated stink bug throughout the United States. Data was collected starting in 2004 and continues to this day. Maps of the reports indicated that brown marmorated stink bug infestation of houses started in Eastern Pennsylvania/Western New Jersey and spread throughout New Jersey and to other states in subsequent years. My findings demonstrate the utility and power of our crowdsourced reports to visually display the spread of the brown marmorated stink bug.