Is the Hudson Valley on the Verge of a Nasty Stink Bug Invasion?

If you had asked me ten years ago what a stink bug was, I would have looked at you like you had two heads. Or I’d be waiting for a punch line. I never even heard of stink bugs until maybe 7 years ago when they suddenly appeared. And they made their presence known. I saw hundreds of them that first season. And it got even worse the next season.

I’m one of the lucky ones I guess. I never can smell that horrible smell that gave them their name and I have a pretty good nose. My boyfriend can’t stand the smell. He says they have a chemical smell, and I’ve heard that from other people, too. They are ugly little buggers and even if they don’t cause damage I don’t want them around. And it kind of feels like the stink bug population had died down a bit in the last couple of years. I’ve only seen a few here and there.

This may have something to do with the fact that scientists have discovered Samurai Wasps can help reduce the stink bug population by laying eggs inside the eggs of stink bugs. Apparently it’s working, because I’m not seeing nearly as many stink bugs as in the past. Or maybe I’m just getting used to them.

I’m also not seeing as many tips on social media about how to get rid of them and I’m not hearing as many people complaining about them. Have you noticed it too? Or are you seeing just as many stink bugs as you did a few years ago?

Hudson Valley Restaurants With the Most Critical Violations in 2021

Critical violations are those that can cause immediate harm to consumers such as undercooked food and improper storage of ingredients. Other violations like inadequate handwashing facilities or dirty conditions are noted as non-critical violations.

The ten restaurants below all received four or more critical violations during their latest inspection of 2021. In some cases, the restaurants were given the opportunity to correct the violations by inspectors and have done so. Just because a restaurant is on this list doesn't mean that they are currently in violation of the health code. However, the Board of Health does think it's important to be armed with information on how seriously a restaurant takes kitchen cleanliness, food safety and other important rules that affect the food you feed your family.

These 40 Flashback Images of the Galleria Will Make You Totally Nostalgic

The Poughkeepsie Galleria has gone through some major changes in the past 34 years. Scroll down for a trip down memory lane. How many of these stores do you remember shopping at?