When you squish a stink bug, special pheromones are released in the air. These chemicals actually attract other stink bugs into your home. Although you may have a minor stink bug problem at first, it can quickly become a full-on infestation.
The name says it all: Stink Bug. As a defense mechanism, these smelly critters release an odor when they are crushed or smashed. Not only that, but the foul smell that stink bugs give off contains a chemical that attracts other stink bugs to them.
Stink bugs release foul smelling chemicals to avoid predators. They also give off other chemicals to attract other stink bugs. When a BMSB finds a suitable winter shelter, it secretes a chemical odor that attracts other stink bugs. Killing a stink bug does not attract more stink bugs.
In many home landscape situations the greatest concern may be the movement of brown marmorated stink bugs into buildings as they congregate in late summer and early fall and seek safe overwintering sites. Once inside buildings they can become a nuisance and emit an offensive odor if disturbed or crushed.
If you notice stink bugs inside your home, here's what to do: Avoid touching or squashing them, as they will produce that pungent smell for which they're famous. Grab them gently with a plastic baggy, then take them outside to finish the job. Alternatively, you can flush them or drop them into a jar of soapy water.
Yes, several substances can kill stink bugs on contact. Spraying a mixture of water and dish soap or insecticidal soap on stink bugs can effectively kill them. Pyrethrin-based insecticides and rubbing alcohol solutions also kill stink bugs on contact.
These predatory stink bugs can actually help protect crops against destructive pests. They eat caterpillars, beetles and even plant-feeding stink bugs. Stink bugs can become household pests when they invade homes for warmth. They enter homes in the late summer or fall.
Plants like lavender, garlic, and catnip are among some of the best options for keeping stink bugs away from your home. Plant these nearby and most insects will avoid paying you a visit.
While uncommon, symptoms such as runny nose, tearing, itchy eyes, and skin irritation leading to dermatitis may occur. Whenever someone is exposed to a stink bug's defensive compound, it is wise to quickly use soap and water to wash the affected skin and remove the source of the ill-smelling substance.
In these cases, a stink bug bite is not poisonous, even though it may hurt. More often than not, someone may get an allergic reaction to the compounds released by stink bugs, according to Healthline. Some may experience a runny nose or a rash, known as dermatitis, if they come in contact with a crushed stink bug.
Both nymphs and adults feed on plants and fruit. Stink bug adults will continue to feed and reproduce during summer. Depending upon the species and where they live, the pests may create more than one generation per year (up to 400 eggs during their lifetime). Adult stink bugs tend to live between 6 – 8 months.
As a defensive mechanism when alarmed or handled, the Western Conifer Seed Bug omits a pungent odor from glands between the second and third pair of legs. Western Conifer Seed Bugs are often mistaken for Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs, but they are generally longer and narrower in comparison.
Stink bugs do not pose any significant health risk to humans because they avoid areas of high traffic, taking shelter in wall voids away from predators. The only negative impact they have on humans is their presence being a nuisance. If they are crushed, they have a foul odor which is unpleasant.
They're a major food source for birds, reptiles, and other creatures. So maybe we shouldn't be so eager to squash every bug that buzzes our way—especially because insect populations have been declining in recent years.
When using the flushing down the toilet method, prepare the water by adding some soap to it first. Then collect the stink bugs and throw them in. It is a good idea to flush multiple stink bugs at a time so that you do not waste water and soap flushing them one by one.
While seemingly innocuous, killing a stink bug can have lingering effects. Not only does the chemical produced by stink bugs smell, but it also releases pheromones that attract other stink bugs. With numerous stink bugs roaming through your home, it's only a matter of time until you're stuck with a smelly infestation!
Like humans, most pests do not want to spend time outdoors in cold weather. Stink bugs are attracted to warmth and shelter and take advantage of cracks and crevices to gain entry to your home for your shelter and warmth. Another thing that attracts stink bugs in your house is an abundance of light.
The stink bug symbolizes protection, persistence, self-forgiveness, energy, and perceptiveness. Despite its bad smell, the stink bug is actually a pretty positive creature.
Soapy Water
Fill a wide mouth jar with soapy water (add some vinegar for extra killing power), move it into position beneath a stink bug, and most often it will drop right into the suds and drown. Combine equal parts hot water and dish soap in a spray bottle and spray on windowsill entry points.
The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
Here in America, these pests are most destructive to tree fruits and vegetables, which costs farmers millions of dollars each year. The only major weakness stink bugs have is vulnerability to the cold.
The pests gravitate towards light and often gather on sunny exterior walls. At night, porch lights attract them to houses, where they use gaps in the siding to head towards warmth indoors.
Use about a half cup of coffee grounds per gallon of water, but filter out the grounds after soaking to prevent clogging the sprayer. Straight coffee grounds can be used on the soil around plants to repel several pests. Old coffee can also be used. Just dilute 50/50 with water and spray away.
These brown marmorated stink bugs have been in the U.S. for decades, spreading to nearly every state except Wyoming, South Dakota, and Alaska. In addition to being a nuisance in our homes, it has caused “severe agricultural and nuisance problems” in about a dozen states.
Agriculture Damage
Adult stink bugs emerge in the spring to feed on plants – which is why they pose a big threat to agriculture. This insect feeds on numerous fruits, vegetables, leaves, and field crops. While feeding, they leave physical damage to the fruit, like pitting and scarring.