US provides $3.5 m to Help Georgia Combat Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

The United States Embassy to Georgia reports that the US Government is providing $3.5 million to help Georgia combat the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, which is a serious problem in the country, as they have destroyed nearly the whole nut and vegetable harvest in West Georgian regions last year.

The first part of this commitment - over 10,000 American made traps and lures – are already in Georgia.

“We just delivered 10,005 traps to the National Food Agency to combat the pest! The traps and lures were purchased from American company, Trécé, which used U.S. Department of Agriculture technology to develop them as a very effective pest monitoring tool. As CEO Bill Lingren says, "Doing good is just good business!" the USAID Georgia Facebook post reads.

The Georgian Government has adopted the ‘Strategy against Brown Marmorated Bugs 2018,’ which includes four main directions: information campaign, implementation of the monitoring system, stink bug control measures and scientific research works.

By Thea Morrison

Photo source: USAID/Georgia

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