What Do I Do About All of These Stink Bugs?

With the warm weather here to stay, pests that went into hiding last fall are now awake and ready to take on the new year. There’s one pest you know all too well because of their foul smell — the stink bug! If you’re finding stink bugs left and right throughout your home, make sure you do your homework on them so you can properly remove them.

Biography of a Stink Bug

• Not native to the U.S., stink bugs were originally imported from Asia. Since the mid-1990s, stink bugs have now been documented in 30 states (including New York).
• During the fall, stink bugs will try to enter buildings and homes via window and door trim, exhaust vents, chimneys, and gaps in your home.
• Once the temperatures warm up during spring, any stink bugs that have been dormant in attic spaces will attempt to go back outside. This is why you will see them in your home this spring.
• Stink bugs have scent glands underneath their abdomens and thorax, which when crushed can emit foul odors that are hard to remove.

Feeding Habits
The reason you might be seeing an abundance of stink bugs in and around your home might be due to the local plantlife. Since this pest feeds on plants, fruits, vegetables, weeds, and leaves, your chances of seeing them will increase if you have a garden or trees planted alongside the house. Stink bugs are a gardener’s worst nightmare as they will use your garden as a feeding ground.

Should I Kill Them?
Before you go ahead and smack one with a rolled up magazine, remember why they’re called stink bugs in the first place. Rather than squishing one and releasing foul odors, use a shop vacuum to suck them up or a soapy water solution to kill them without releasing the odor. However, if you have multiple bugs infiltrating your home and overtaking your garden, you may need to call in the pest management professionals.

Stink bugs are a nuisance pest that you can’t even squish — the one thing you WANT to do to them! When you’ve had it up to here with stink bugs or any other pest, contact Knockout Pest Control. To learn more or to schedule an inspection, give us a call at (800) 244-7378.

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