The Invasion of the Stink Bug
Posted: Sunday, April 26, 2009
by Nancy Daniels
Voice Dynamic
This past March I was heading upstairs from our basement and saw this little critter' on the top step.
Later that day, I saw another one of these slow-moving creatures plodding along near the heating vent. The next morning, I discovered a 3 rd , a 4 th and then a 5 th in various spots in my home. We had had a few warm days in March which apparently made them active. I was fervently praying that there were only five in total (and that I had somehow miraculously managed to see every single one that could be in any nook, cranny, or corner of my home!) and that the problem was solved.
When I discussed the situation with my husband, he told me that these were the bugs he had seen in his office in the fall, both in his old building and a new one just erected this past November. And, he had heard them called Stink Bugs.
I had always attributed the name stink bug to the Multicolored Asian Ladybug. When I lived in Canada , I would get these ladybugs' en masse on my west-facing windows in the winter. When you killed them, indeed their odor was foul!
I have yet to smell an odor with this true Stink Bug; however, I have read that you should never kill them indoors because the odor of their internal liquid remains in the home for 6 months and draws more of them inside when the weather begins to change in the fall. So, I have been picking them up with tissue and killing them outside.
From what I have read, they come into the home because of outside gardens and, of course, I am guilty of that; but, where my husband works, there is no vegetation. Because of their hard shells, bug sprays do not work. The question is: what to do about the potential onslaught? (My nightmare is waking up in bed with one of these critters!)
Of course the Stink Bugs could be worse. They could run fast like roaches, turning up on your dinner plate or on the walls of your shower! When I lived in North Jersey , we had roaches in our apartment; in Canada , I had earwigs and the stinky Asian Ladybug. Here in South Jersey , however, I have had no problems with critters on the inside only those on the out. Until now.
My question is twofold:
- How to get rid of them?
- How to keep them from coming inside in the fall?
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More commentsOK everyone, you're feaking me out! I can't tolerate any bug of any kind. Now after hearing about earwigs, roaches and stinkbugs, I'm not going to sleep, and I'll be up reading on SearchWarp all night long. (By the way Nancy, good luck, my heart goes out to you).Brianna,Bugs don't bother me nearly as much as they used to because of my gardening. Admittedly, I don't want them in the house and I don't like finding this 'stinker' where I'm finding them!Nancy
Nancy, I have seen them especially around Magnolia trees...at least it looks like them. I never knew what they were called. I have no clue how to get rid of them and haven't seen them inside. Odd little bugs, aren't they?Lorrie,Thanks for your comment. I'm going with Paul's suggestion below. Sounds like a good deterent.Nancy
soak cigarettes(3 packs of unfiltered camels)in hot water for 5 days;that gives a solution of nicotinic acid ,the most potent-non harmful to people or pets-pesticide known to man;add a little soap liquid detergent for emulsion and spray(strained and put in spray bottles).It is so potent,insects are dead before they hit the ground and it can be safely used around babies and pets.Paul,You get the gold star for this one! I will absolutely try this concoction. Sounds green to boot!Thank you, thank you, thank you,NancyWOW! I'm keeping this information for safekeeping, thanks.
Hi Nancy, I have read your article with interest. There are some bugs which look as the picture and description shows, but are not stink bugs. The stink bugs which I have run into, look like that one but they are not as hard shelled as the non-stinky ones. Besides, the bugs I have seen (when I was younger, haven't seen one in years) would have given you a stinky tissue each time you took one outside. The secrete that smell as a deterrent to predators, just like a skunk does. And it is strong enough, that thre is no mistaking the true one. I find it hard to believe youwould not have smelled at least some of them.But even if you don't have the true stink-bug, it is still the same nuisance only without the smell. My only suggestion is to go after them as you might any bug, spread the granular insecticide (available at any Walmart or garden center) all around the outside of your house about every month during warm weather, and then get a good "safe" spray to use pretty often around your baseboards, and any crevices, etc.Good luck. We were overrun with earwigs once upon a time in a rented house, after fighting them a few months, we moved to a nicer looking house, only to find it infested with roaches! But we can rid our house from roaches.Joel,Personally I don't care whether they stink or don't stink, are green or brown, or hard-shelled or soft (love soft-shelled crabs though -- haven't had them in years -- sorry, I digressed) but I think Paul's nicotine concoction and your suggestion of granules around the perimeter is a good idea. I can't use them in the back though because of the dogs.Will do as much preventative as possible,Thank for your comments and suggestions,Nancy
Hi Nancy.I always thought that those big black beetles that are everywhere all year long were Stink Bugs. But of course the only true bugs (and insect that you can call a "bug" and be perfectly correct) are the hemiptera; like the bug in your photo. They have a hard shell over only half of their wings, hence the "hemi" in their name. "Ptera" refers to wing. Think of "pteranodon" as in winged, toothed dinosaur. Okay, that's probably way too much information. If none of the other commenters have mentioned this, try having a look at whatsthatbug online. As well as helping people to identify bugs, they also frequently have helpful information.Oh, those stink beetles I mentioned earlier have a defense mechanism. If you annoy them they will raise their hind ends as a warning. If you really annoy them they will emit a foul smelling liquid. We leave them alone.Good luck with your bugs!DianneDianne,You leave them alone? Meaning to roam your house freely? Aren't you in Jersey too?Oh my! Good info on the bug business. Never knew the difference but when I typed in stink bug under Google images, the picture above was what I found.I am so confused as to what to call it now.Thanks,NancyI'm in Dewey, Arizona. We have a lot of the same insects, but thankfully not too many of the true bugs. We tend more toward giant beetles that can stand the dry climate. We get theses big, stupid brown beetles in the summer that are as big as my thumb. They have really grippy feet and if you put them in the palm of your hand they almost won't let go. And we get tarantulas, but then those are arachnids and not insects at all.Mostly we don't let the bugs roam freely through our house. We do try to keep them out. Every summer we get an ant invasion. We find out where they are coming in and feed them at that point. They seem to like cat food. Then they have no reason to come in. The spiders that live up near the ceiling we keep because they trap and eat all the little gnats and such. All the other insects get put outside. Luckily, I'm not one of those people with an insect or spider phobia.Have fun with the bugs :)Dianne
Nancy,I, too have always dislike the stink bug! Yuck! I've only seen them while in 'Bama, thank goodness, and reading this article made my skin crawl by just the mention of the critter(s) ... So, I do plan on doing some research on how to rid a home of them.Ronyae,Gosh Warp readers are so helpful. All of the comments above have been interesting, enlightening, and fun. Of course the bugs aren't but I've got some good ideas as to how to deal with them.Thanks for reading and sharing,NancyYes, Nancy, I agree. I've been on here with a pencil and notepad. (smile)
I learned very young that the Stink Bug truly is a STINK Bug! Sorry I can't help with any suggestions for your problem. We live in the country and I have seen them often outside, but never in the house.SandraSandra,Thank you for your comment. There doesn't seem to be any agreement as to what it is called but I find the name Stink Bug rather appropriate although the smell from the Asian Ladybugs is much more offensive to my nostrils.Nancy
Hi - I don't have a clue - I've seen them before in Washing state - but they don't seem to be in So. Cal - or at least not where I am. Good luck! Cheryl
I agree with Conner about sealing everything up however, it wasn't until this year that I had a serious invasion. I vacuumed them up with a Dirt Devil Detailer. I wait until they die and then empty it. Then I started looking around at my plants which had signs of chewing, lo and behold there were more than a few leaves with egg clusters! And to my shock, I found babies!I've seen articles that say they will not reproduce inside.....WRONG!!Check your indoor plants as well! Stinkbugs are an invasive species from Asia and are a threat to crops. Do not just throw them outside before killing them.
We've seen these bugs occassionally in and around our NJ home over the past 5 years. We called them "Slow-Movers", a friendly name to keep the kids from freaking out when they're seen slowly creeping along. Just this week we're finding an awful, awful oder coming from parts of the house. As of this a.m. I'm about 90% sure it's the slow moving stink bugs. Haven't found them yet, but I'm going on the hunt later today.Unfortunately, in spite of all the helpful info on what they are and what others have done, I haven't arrived at a definitive means of dealing with them when and if I find them. Though I'd rather not use a lethal means (to the bugs, that is), I'd prefer it over the smell, and the knowledge that they're living with me.The first thought that comes to me is traps. Anyone know anything about this as an option?
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