Monday, February 07, 2011

Insectile

Behold Halyomorpha halys, the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug. This house is full of them; in fact many houses throughout Pennsylvania are. It's an invasive pest species that was introduced to the area around 1998 (first observed in Allentown in that year), probably hitching a ride on an imported plant from its home in China. And in Fall they come indoors for the cold months. They're a constant presence here, and I finally decided to creep up on one in macro mode and get a shot.

The whole time I was shooting this bug I had the sounds that the giant ants in the movie Them! made running in my head. Afterward I remembered a piece of music I have here that would make the perfect soundtrack for one of those '50s giant-insects-mutated-by-the-atomic-bomb movies, trance musician A Produce's "Insect Justice", from his 1995 CD White Sands. So, a creepy critter and some perfect atmosphere music to go with it. Enjoy!


Photo © 2011 by A. Roy Hilbinger
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8 comments:

  1. Tess KincaidFebruary 7, 2011 at 5:38 PM

    We have these stink bugs here in Central Ohio. Haven't seen any in the house this winter, though, thank God.

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  2. KellyFebruary 8, 2011 at 8:14 AM

    Egads...what a shocker! I see them in the summer on the screens, but so far none have come indoors... I had no idea they were invasive newcomers, but it makes sense now that you mention it because I don't remember seeing these fellows when I was a kid...

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  3. UnknownFebruary 8, 2011 at 9:26 AM

    Music & pic are both sci-fi worthy!

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  4. RoyFebruary 8, 2011 at 9:48 AM

    Betsy, yeah, they stink, at least if you touch 'em or disturb 'em. And never, EVER vacuum up their bodies, dead or alive; that just makes the stink more widespread. And yeah, even the dead bodies can create a stink.

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  5. Alan BurnettFebruary 8, 2011 at 12:16 PM

    My goodness, they look horrendous. And there was I thinking of visiting America. I shall go to Cleethorpes instead.

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  6. BettyFebruary 8, 2011 at 6:18 PM

    Yuck! How do you get rid of them? And how big are they?

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  7. BainoFebruary 9, 2011 at 2:14 PM

    Hmm and I thought we had the monopoly on bugs but I don't think any of ours smell too bad. Hope you didn't have to get too close.

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  8. The Silver FoxFebruary 9, 2011 at 11:51 PM

    Eerie combo of photo and music. Reminds me of all the 1950s sci-fi flicks that played on late-night TV back in the 1960s!

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