Stink bugs get under importers' noses

A stink bug outbreak in the USA is causing problems for local importers including Nissan, Jeep, BMW and Mercedes, as cars are being denied entry to Australia unless they are fumigated.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee and BMW X5 are the top-selling SUVs in their segments, and both models are currently experiencing local delays as customs officials react to North America's recent stink bug outbreak.

The time it takes to treat the vehicles in the USA (and sometimes in Australia) to rid them of the stink bug, otherwise known as the brown marmorated stink bug, is around 90 hours of fumigation and the flow-on effect for US-built exports are delayed deliveries – in some cases significant.

Fiat Chrysler Group (FCA) – namely Jeep – is the most severely affected by the pestilence, with almost 75 per cent of its vehicles imported from North America. BMW is the next most affected with around 30 per cent of its products, namely the X-badged SUVs built in the US.

Lucy McLellan, corporate communications director at FCA, told motoring.com.au that the stink bug concern affects the company both in terms of time and money, with delays of up to two months for some models.

"The stink bug issue and the steps to rectifying it as outlined by the government agencies has affected our business significantly.

"With over 70 per cent of FCA product sourced from the US, we have seen at least 30 to 60 days of our hottest product being delayed which in turn has set some considerable wait times for our customers," she added.

Categorised as an agricultural pest, the stink bug is native to parts of Asia, including Japan and China, and was inadvertently introduced to the US in the late 1990s.

Lenore Fletcher, BMW Australia's general manager of corporate communications, said the infestation "happens from time to time on a seasonal basis", and was affecting a number of its SUVs built in the US, such as the top-selling X5.

"The stink bugs get into the vehicles, which then have to go through an extra treatment. It causes a slight delay for some cars," she stated.

Nissan Australia also confirmed to motoring.com.au that its US-built Pathfinder had been affected by the stink bug problem this year, but it's understood that customer deliveries are not adversely affected.

The Mercedes-Benz M-Class – soon to be named GLE-Class – has also been blighted by the stink bug, which is so named because it can expel an odour designed to ward off predators, such as lizards.

David McCarthy, Mercedes-Benz Australia's senior manager of public relations, product and corporate communication, confirmed to motoring.com.au that the stink bug infestation is "not helping deliveries".

He said that in some cases there were "significant delays".

"It's hard to get an accurate handle on the numbers of vehicles affected at the moment," said McCarthy.

He noted that some vehicles just aren't arriving at the moment but observed that "border security is important".

Like other manufacturers affected by the issue, McCarthy noted that the treatment of vehicles adds an extra cost but that customers will be unaffected.

And it's not just full-line importers who are affected, with US vehicle conversion specialist Performax International also impacted by the stink bug.

"It has hampered our last shipment," said Sandy Wheeler, Performax International's commercial manager, who explained that the choice of fumigation chemicals is important as they can affect interiors and electronics.

Image: A female brown marmorated stink bug from a laboratory colony on a common bean leaf, photographed in the laboratory of Fondazione Edmund Mach, Italy.