As the weather warms up overwintering pests will begin to wake up and make their way outdoors. One of these is the brown marmorated stinkbug. While these household pests don’t sting, bite, or carry any diseases, they can become a nuisance when they get inside your home. In fact, once you see stinkbugs inside, it’s usually too late to do anything to keep them out.
The brown marmorated stinkbug is native to Asia but was later introduced in the United States. They prefer moist, temperate climates like those of the Eastern US and the Pacific Northwest. Stinkbugs feed on soybeans, corn, fruit, vegetables, and ornamental plants that grow close to homes. Stinkbugs spend the spring and summer seasons outdoors then will seek shelter from the winter elements indoors – often entering your home through cracks, crevices, gaps or holes in your foundation, through chimneys, air conditioning vents, or underneath siding. The prefer homes with lots of trees around and will gravitate to the upper floors of a home.
During the winter months, stinkbugs go into a phase known as diapause, which is similar to hibernation, where the bugs go inactive during the cold weather. When the stinkbugs find a spot to overwinter, they release a pheromone that attracts other stinkbugs to their location. While they typically stay dormant until spring, unusually warm spells during the winter can bring them out full force.
If you encounter stinkbugs in your home, the best way to get rid of them is to vacuum them up and immediately dispose of the bag. When stinkbugs are threatened, disturbed, or squashed, they emit a smell that has been described as anything from cilantro to rotting almonds to spoiled fruit.
The best way to control stinkbugs is to prevent them from getting into your home in the first place. Here are 9 prevention tips for keeping stinkbugs out.
Seal Them Out. Carefully inspect the exterior of your home to identify potential entry points for stinkbugs. Check around siding and utility pipes, behind chimneys, and under fascia. Seal any problem spots with silicone or silicone-latex caulk. Close chimney flues when not in use.
Repair. Check doors and windows for any damage. Repair or replace damaged screens. Check weatherstripping and replace if necessary. Check for loose mortar. Install door sweeps if possible.
Turn Off Lights. Stinkbugs are attracted to light. Try to keep outdoor lighting to a minimum. After dark, turn porch lights off and pull down blinds in your home to reduce the amount of light spilling out from indoors.
Keep It Dry. Stinkbugs, like other seasonal pests, need water to survive. Check carefully for leaking pipes and faucets and repair them immediately.
Get Rid of Food. Keep food stored in airtight containers. Dispose of your garbage regularly. Wipe down countertops daily and sweep and mop often.
Air It Out. Keep areas that stinkbugs can use as a harborage point (garages, crawlspaces, attics, and basements) well ventilated. Consider using a dehumidifier in these areas. Install screens over chimney and attic vents.
Check It Out. Stinkbugs can hitch a ride into your home in boxes and bags. Carefully inspect any boxes you are bringing in from storage and any grocery bags before you bring them into your home.
Landscaping. Keep branches and shrubbery well trimmed so they are not in contact with the house. Keep grass mowed and leaves raked. Store firewood at least 20 feet from the house and at least 5 inches off the ground.
Call A Pro. If you suspect you have a problem with stinkbugs, contact a professional pest control company who can help identify any entry points the bugs may be using and help to eliminate them. They can also use a preventative spray in the late summer/early fall to help keep them out before overwintering season sets in.
Ladybugs are said to be a sign of good luck, but when you start to find them crawling all over the inside of your home, you don’t feel as lucky. Ladybugs, or Asian Lady Beetles, are just one of the pests that will try to use your home for overwintering. Overwintering is the process of insects passing the winter season, and your home poses as the ideal habitat for this practice. Temperatures drop, and pests such as house spiders, boxelder bugs, ladybugs, millipedes, stink bugs, and even smokybrown roaches, will make their way in your home to hide during the cold weather. Come spring, these pests will emerge in and around your home in MASSIVE numbers.
The best preventive measures to stop overwintering pests, luckily enough, are DIY!
Seal entry points around doors and windows. Also, look for any cracks and crevices to seal.
Invest in weather-stripping around your home.
Use yellow bulbs for outdoor lighting; these pests are attracted to light, and this will help deter them.
Utilize a vacuum for removal; both stink bugs and ladybugs will leave behind foul odors or liquid when smushed.
If you feel you have an issue with any of these overwintering pests, call you licensed pest professional to schedule an inspection right away.
Stink bugs, often called kudzu bugs, are classified as occasional invaders and usually make an appearance in the Spring in Georgia. They look similar to brown lady bugs, feed on plants (like kudzu), and give off an unpleasant smell when threatened. Because of their small size, stink bugs can fit in the smallest cracks and crevices, making their way into your home in search of water and shelter. Most likely, at this time of year, they’re looking for somewhere warm to escape the cold winter temperatures. Once inside, your attic or other infrequently used spaces for storage will likely be their preferred residence. If not controlled and eliminated, stink bugs will infest the area and remain inside your home until Spring, when they will start moving outside in search of food.
Because of their strong smell, it’s recommended to call a pest control company that specializes in stink bug control to get rid of them. Temporarily, you can dispose of them by using a vacuum but this can cause a lingering smell. If you choose to do this, they should be emptied outside of your home immediately.
Prevention is key with stink bugs. Prior to seasonal changes in weather, make sure your home is airtight. Cracks, crevices, and gaps around doors, window, and pipes should be sealed and broken screens or attic/crawl space vents repaired. Once inside, it can be extremely difficult to control them.
Found in eastern US, as well as California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas
What are stink bugs?
Brown marmorated “stink bugs” are an invasive species from Asia that arrived in Pennsylvania in 1996 and can now be found from South Carolina to New Hampshire and west to Indiana, as well as in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.
Why are they called stink bugs?
Stink bugs get their name from the odor they emit as a defense against predators, including birds, spiders and assassin bugs. When handled or disturbed, stink bugs are able to secrete a bad-smelling fluid from pores on the sides of their bodies.
Are stink bugs more prevalent during a specific season?
Adult stink bugs enter homes and other structures in the late fall to seek shelter from the winter weather, often from mid-September through mid-October. They reemerge from overwintering sites in early spring and try to exit, but sometimes enter living spaces instead.
Why are stink bugs problematic?
Stink bugs have the potential to spread throughout the country, which could be increasingly harmful to the agricultural industry, as they destroy crops.
Do stink bugs pose a threat to human health?
Stink bugs are not known to bite humans, but their tendency to invade homes in high numbers makes them a difficult pest to control once inside.
What can homeowners do to prevent an infestation?
Seal cracks around windows, doors, electrical outlets, ceiling fans and light switches with a good quality silicone or silicone-latex caulk.
Keep outdoor lighting to a minimum because stink bugs are drawn to light. Replace outdoor lighting with yellow bulbs, which are less attractive to stink bugs.
Repair damaged window screens. Don’t forget to check for torn weather-stripping and loose mortar.
Properly ventilate basements, attics, garages and crawl spaces to eliminate harborage points. Also, install screens over chimney and crawlspace vents.
A licensed pest professional can pre-treat homes for stink bugs in the late summer or early fall just prior to their full maturation and congregation.
How can a homeowner get rid of stink bugs once they are inside their home?
If stink bugs have already entered a home or building, use a vacuum cleaner to aid in their removal
Remove the vacuum bag immediately to prevent odor from permeating the area, as dead stink bugs leave a residue inside the bag that can stink up your home.
Seal contents from the vacuum bag in a plastic bag and dispose of it with your normal garbage.
If an infestation has developed inside the home or building, a licensed pest professional should be contacted to evaluate and assess the severity problem and help to identify the access points for these invasive species.
The stink bug gets its name from its ability to release an odor when they are disturbed or crushed. Stink bugs have a triangular or shield shape.
Habits:
Enter homes and other structures in the winter for shelter and emerge from their hiding spaces in early spring.
Mostly feed on plants and crops.
Some species feed off of other pests such as caterpillars and other crop damaging pests. This species of stink bug is used as a natural pest control for crops.
When disturbed, they release a foul smelling fluid from their pores to protect themselves from predators.
Seal cracks and crevices around the structure of your home so they cannot enter.
Do not shine outside lights directly onto your home…this will attract stink bugs to your home.
Use a vacuum to get rid of stink bugs. Empty contents of vacuum into a tightly sealed trash bag and dispose of immediately. Do NOT crush! Crushing will cause them to emit their infamous odor.
Because of their ability to invade en masse, contact Northwest Exterminating if a stink bug infestation happens in your home or business.
