Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

Pests are organisms that are capable of harming humans, animals, plants or the environment. Pests include a variety of organisms ranging from microbes to plants to animals.

An organism that causes plant disease is called a plant pathogen. Plant pathogens are considered plant pests. Plant pathogens spread in various ways, including by insects, water, soil, air, people and other animals.

A goal of the MDA is to protect Minnesota’s terrestrial plants from insect pests and pathogens. We do this through inspections and testing of nursery stock, seed, including seed potatoes, and by keeping new invasive pathogens out of the state.

Multiple approaches are used by the MDA to deal with pests. First, we try to prevent new pests from arriving in Minnesota through best management practices and regulation. Secondly, pest surveys are conducted and used to detect them soon after they arrive. If a pest is not widespread, we will try to eradicate or contain the infestation. If the pest is widely established, we use an integrated approach to manage pest populations.

If you suspect an invasive pest, write a short description of what you saw and where you saw it and take a picture if possible. Make sure to include your contact information! Send to reportapest@state.mn.us. You can play a role in helping to detect invasive pests from moving into and spreading across Minnesota. Examples of insect pests that have been or are of concern to the MDA are the brown marmorated stink bug, spongy moth, emerald ash borer, soybean aphid and Japanese beetle.

View all Insect Pests & Diseases

Search by Name of Plant Pest or Disease
More information is available on individual plant pests and diseases
Follow the links in the table to go to the individual plant pest or plant disease pages.
Plant Pests & Plant Diseases
Title Category
Viburnum Leaf Beetle Insect Pests
Velvet Longhorned Beetle Insect Pests
Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus Plant Diseases
Thousand Cankers Disease Plant Diseases
Swede Midge Insect Pests
Sudden Oak Death Plant Diseases
Sudden Death Syndrome of Soybean Plant Diseases
Spotted Wing Drosophila Insect Pests
Spotted Lanternfly Insect Pests
Spongy Moth Insect Pests
Soybean Rust Plant Diseases
Red Star Rust Plant Diseases
Purple Carrot-Seed Moth Insect Pests
Potato Cyst Nematode Plant Diseases
Pine Shoot Beetle Insect Pests
Old World Bollworm Insect Pests
Mountain Pine Beetle Insect Pests
Lily Leaf Beetle Insect Pests
Light Brown Apple Moth Insect Pests
Japanese Beetle Insect Pests
Golden Twin Spot Moth Insect Pests
Ginger Wilt Plant Diseases
European Grapevine Moth Insect Pests
European Chafer Insect Pests
Emerald Ash Borer Insect Pests
Elongate Hemlock Scale Insect Pests
Elm Zigzag Sawfly Insect Pests
Egyptian Cottonworm Insect Pests
Cucurbit Beetle Insect Pests
Cucumber Green Mottle Mosaic Virus Plant Diseases
Chrysanthemum White Rust Plant Diseases
Brown Spruce Longhorned Beetle Insect Pests
Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Insect Pests
Boxwood Blight Plant Diseases
Basil Downy Mildew Plant Diseases
Balsam Woolly Adelgid Insect Pests
Bacterial Wilt and Canker of Tomato Plant Diseases
Bacterial Wilt Plant Diseases
Asian Longhorned Beetle Insect Pests
Apple Ermine Moth Insect Pests