The brown marmorated stink bug hitched a ride to the USA in a shipping container in the late 1990’s, and has spread throughout the eastern united states and midwest. They are bad for crops, but relatively harmless to your home and family.
Do You Need Help With Stink Bugs?
How are Stink Bugs a Pest?
Stink Bugs Outside of Your Home
Stink bugs outside of your home are relatively harmless. They tend to avoid people, and in fact you may not see them outdoors at all. They don’t hang out on your patio or in your back yard. They live and eat green leaves, so that’s where you’ll find them.
If you grow a vegetable garden, you may find some stink bugs feasting on your crops.
Stink Bugs In Spring Time
Most people notice stink bugs in their homes during the early spring months of March and April. At this time of year, the when the weather is warming up, stink bugs are trying to get out of your house. Like most of us, we don’t want to be inside when the weather is nice.
If it’s spring time, and you see stink bugs, the best thing to do is to help them get outside. They don’t want to be there any more than you want them there.
When Sink Bugs Come Into Your Home
When the weather starts to cool off, stink bugs start looking for a nice insulated place to stay warm and out of the weather. One of their favorite places is in your home. They are very flat bugs, and can easily spend the winter nestled in the insulation in your walls or your attic.
How to Deal With Stink Bugs in Your Home
Keep Them Out
Once the stink bugs are in your home, it’s nearly impossible to get rid of them until they’re ready to go. The key to control is to minimize the entry points they have. This means making sure your windows and doors all seal well, and any cracks or crevices are sealed.
Homes that have attics have vents and air flow, which opens them up to be prime harborage spots for stink bugs. From there, they find entry points into your home.
Pest Control Treatments
The most effective control on stink bugs is to reduce the number of pathways they have into your home. The next step is repellant pest control products on your eaves. These repellant products are detected by insects and they avoid it. Applying these products to your eaves helps prevent stink bugs from entering your home.
Expect Minimization, Not Elimination
The goal for any pest control company, when it comes to stink bugs, is to minimize the problem. No pest control company can guarantee that stink bugs won’t overwinter in your home. They are flying insects and it’s just not possible to seal every entry point. That’s how stink bugs have spread from 1 identified stink bug in 1998 to covering 75% of the country in less than 25 years.