Stink Bug Invasion!
Posted on September 25, 2020
Each fall for the last few years, we’ve come to expect the annual encroachment of brown marmorated stink bugs into our homes. These prehistoric-looking bugs make their way inside when the temperatures start to cool in late September. And this year, entomologists are predicting a particularly robust invasion. 2020: the year that just keeps on giving.
The reason? This year’s unseasonably warm winter, combined with a hotter than normal summer, has resulted in two new generations of stink bugs, instead of the usual one.
Stink bugs are native to East Asia, but they’ve been here in the U.S. since the late 1990s. Currently, they can be found in 45 states, including Michigan. While they look a bit menacing, they aren’t harmful to people; they don’t bite or sting. But they do stink when threatened, hence their name. If you accidentally squish one, your house will fill with that unmistakable sharp, sour smell that can linger for an hour or more. Plus, that odor contains a pheromone that is designed to attract more stink bugs, which we are guessing is not your desired outcome.
So how to prevent them? Seal up any cracks and crevices around doors, windows and in your home’s foundation. They will tend to congregate where it’s warmest, looking for a way inside, so you might want to keep southern-facing windows closed. If they are already in the house, be careful not to disturb them if you don’t want you home to smell terrible for the rest of the day. Many people advise vacuuming them up, and while that’s very efficient, we’ve found that makes them emit their stench too. You can also lure and trap them in trays of soapy water placed around your home. We typically will very gently pick them up with a tissue (they are slow-moving, so it’s pretty easy to do) and flush them down the toilet. And if there are a lot of them, we will sometimes light a few scented candles, get out the vacuum, and just deal with the resulting smell until it dissipates in an hour or two.
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