If you’ve noticed a sudden increase in the number of stink bugs around your home, you are not alone. Swarms of the obnoxious, crop-destroying insect are on the move in summer time, but they appear to enjoy private residences almost as much as they do farms. If you grow a vegetable garden in your yard, or have a neighbor who does, you stand an even greater chance of enduring an invasion.

You might recognize stink bugs on sight, or discover evidence of their damage in your garden. Aside from the bugs themselves, you might also notice pockmarks on fruits and vegetables (from feeding on them) or even small white eggs on the undersides of leaves in your garden.

Stink bugs won’t sting or bite you, but they can certainly be obnoxious. Aside from the damage they do to fruits and vegetables, you might quickly tire of sweeping small hordes of them away from doorways, windows, and kitchen counters.

And the worst part? You probably don’t want to get rid of these crawling nuisances in the same way that you would normally deal with bugs in the house.  If you crush them, they truly earn their name by emitting a horrible, foul odor. But merely sweeping them outside won’t get rid of them for good, and they’ll probably just return.

So, what can you do to get rid of stink bugs?

  • Seal up entry points to your home
  • Repair or replace damaged window screens
  • Eliminate sources of moisture around your home
  • Trim back shrubbery from the perimeter of your home
  • Keep grass and weeds neatly trimmed
  • Store food in airtight containers (especially fruits and veggies)
  • Vacuum regularly
  • Keep outdoor lighting to a minimum (stink bugs are attracted to lights)

And if you do grow a vegetable garden or have fruit trees in your yard, you can always manually pick the bugs off of your crops and toss them into a bucket of soapy water. It’s a slow process, but taking this step can reduce damage to your food and reduce the numbers of stink bugs that might decide to venture indoors next.

If you have any other questions about pest control, give us a call and we can assess your situation.