When stinkbugs invade your home, you know it. They hide in curtains, drawers, laundry or bedding. They get their name from the smell they release that protects them from being eaten by birds and other animals. Unfortunately, this odor also keeps them coming back to their favorite spots and camping out for a long time. Here's how to take immediate action before the infestation gets out of control.
Instructions
1.Suck it up. Yep, the first thing people think about doing to get rid of these pests is to haul out the vacuum cleaner. It can be used on dead or live bugs. While it will take care of them for the moment (like when you know you will have guests coming over), it only reduces the population temporarily if your home has become a hibernating den for these pests.
2.Start outdoors. Treating the outside of your home with a chemical repellent may be your next defense against these pests. Look for any place where stinkbugs can gain entry, like window frames and near crawl spaces. Spray with cyfluthrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, cypermethrin, sumithrin or tralomethrin.
3.Some companies recommend using a "spreader sticker" since the stinkbug's skin is tough and may not be vulnerable to some insecticides. Spray the treatment up high on the outside of your house and let it drip down for thorough coverage. These are best applied in the fall just before the bugs start their invasion. This is also best done during the day when it is warmer and the bugs may be out foraging for food before they come in and find a place to sleep at night.
4.Move indoors. There are some aerosol treatments available for treating the inside of your home. One is called Baygon, which can be applied to window and door frames, floor moldings, around ceiling lights, wall sconces and any other place stinkbugs may be using to gain entry to your home. You may need to treat once a week. Again, this may not be the end-all solution if there are still points of entry for more bugs.
5. Use a dusting treatment. Deltamethrin dust is one suggestion and it may be useful for large areas or hard-to-reach areas such as attics since liquid or aerosol treatments aren't as effective there (they tend to soak into insulation materials and be absorbed). The application will last longer than the above treatments, sometimes up to 12 months. It also works on other insects and in dry or wet environments. Although this insecticide may kill a large amount of bugs, it may increase the amount of carpet beetles that will feed on the dead bugs and then start attacking your woolens, stored dry goods or other products.
6.Contact a licensed pest control operator. Some of them have these materials readily available and can spot entry points better than you can and offer tips on managing the problem for the long-term.
Tips & Warnings
*Stinkbugs may be attracted to light, so turn off porch and deck lights when it's not necessary to have them on.
*Seal cracks around windows, doors, siding, utility pipes, behind chimneys and other openings to the outside with silicone or silicone-latex caulk. Repair damaged screens on doors and windows. Inside, use caulk around cracks near baseboards, around window and door trim, and around exhaust fans or lights fixtures mounted in ceilings to keep the stinkbugs from crawling out.
*Do not handle stinkbugs with bare hands. Some people are allergic to the substance they emit. Also, some species can bite.
*Using pesticides is dangerous. Always follow the directions on the labels. Always store in the original containers and where children, pets, and farm animals cannot reach them. In some instances, it is best to call a licensed pest control operator to do the job for you.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Effective stink bug control begins with some do-it-yourself prevention, says Ehrlich Pest Control’s Kristin Golden Mancuso. As a home owner you can do a number of things to prevent stink bugs, such as:
* seal holes in exterior walls larger than the diameter of a pencil
* check door and window frames for holes
* ensure that door sweeps, doors and windows are tight-fitting and
* be sure your window screens fit tightly
Both live and dead stink bugs can be removed with a vacuum cleaner, however the vacuum may smell like stink bugs for a period of time. Some people prefer to sweep the stink bugs up using a broom and dust pan and will then discard them in an outdoor trash receptacle.
If stink bugs have already entered your home, we recommend first trying to locate where they are gaining access, and then seal those openings with caulk or other suitable material.
WATCH
These guys are being found all over the area.
Royal Pest Management also says that prevention is most important and give detailed tips to make sure the smelly bugs don’t get in:
* Stink bugs are looking for a place to "overwinter" (hibernate). They are attracted to the brightest, most reflective side of the home (usually the south side) and then look for a way in for a cold/dark place to shut down and survive the winter. Seal all cracks and crevices on the sunny side of your home, especially.
* Stink bugs feed in trees in the summer and like leafy plants and fruits...like tomato plants. Cut back the leafy plants so they don’t touch your house. Keep them at least a foot to 18 inches from the house. If you have a vegetable garden near your home (less than 20 feet), especially tomatoes, pull them out.
There is little a homeowner or any pest management company can do once they are in your home other than spray areas and kill them where they are hibernating, according to Rick DeDonato of Royal Pest Management.
Stink Bug Invaders
Brown marmorated Stink Bug Invading Homes
Since this insect is literally making the headlines right now, I am re-publishing this post introducing the “brown marmorated stink bug,” Halyomorpha halys. Special thanks to John R. Maxwell for allowing use of his images of this insect.
Unlike the western conifer seed bug and the boxelder bugs, the brown marmorated stink bug is not native to the North American continent. It was first detected in Allentown, Pennsylvania in September, 1998 but probably arrived at least two years earlier. The insect hails from Asia, being indigenous to China, Japan, Taiwan and Korea.
Thus far, H. halys has amounted to a mere “nuisance pest” that appears in numbers on the exterior of homes as it seeks shelter for the winter. The adult insects fly well, and sometimes manage to creep indoors, much to the consternation of property owners. The fact that they can deploy their scent glands when under duress makes them even more unappealing.
Outdoors, during the spring and summer months, nymphs and adults feed on a variety of plants, shrubs, trees, and fruits. They sip liquid sap and fruit juices through beak-like mouthparts collectively called a rostrum. Their feeding causes mostly cosmetic damage and they have not yet attained pest status for that reason. This is not the case in their native range where they are especially problematic for soybean growers.
Unfortunately, these are non-descript bugs that are easily confused with innocuous native stink bugs like those in the genus Brochymena. Older nymphs like this one do sport distinctive spikes and spines, and black and white-banded legs.
It is the aggregation behavior of the adults in the fall that seems to be their most unique and identifying characteristic.
Since its first appearance in Pennsylvania, the brown marmorated stink bug has been discovered in the following states: Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and the District of Columbia. Specimens have also been intercepted by agriculture officials in California and Florida. Should you suspect you have found this species in a state not on this list, you are urged to report your finding (backed up with specimens whenever possible) to your state department of agriculture.
As with all of the insects being profiled in this series, care should be taken to exclude the bugs from entry into structures by repairing worn weatherstripping, mending holes in window screens, and sealing other possible points of entry with silicone caulking and other such materials.
Since this insect is literally making the headlines right now, I am re-publishing this post introducing the “brown marmorated stink bug,” Halyomorpha halys. Special thanks to John R. Maxwell for allowing use of his images of this insect.
Unlike the western conifer seed bug and the boxelder bugs, the brown marmorated stink bug is not native to the North American continent. It was first detected in Allentown, Pennsylvania in September, 1998 but probably arrived at least two years earlier. The insect hails from Asia, being indigenous to China, Japan, Taiwan and Korea.
Thus far, H. halys has amounted to a mere “nuisance pest” that appears in numbers on the exterior of homes as it seeks shelter for the winter. The adult insects fly well, and sometimes manage to creep indoors, much to the consternation of property owners. The fact that they can deploy their scent glands when under duress makes them even more unappealing.
Outdoors, during the spring and summer months, nymphs and adults feed on a variety of plants, shrubs, trees, and fruits. They sip liquid sap and fruit juices through beak-like mouthparts collectively called a rostrum. Their feeding causes mostly cosmetic damage and they have not yet attained pest status for that reason. This is not the case in their native range where they are especially problematic for soybean growers.
Unfortunately, these are non-descript bugs that are easily confused with innocuous native stink bugs like those in the genus Brochymena. Older nymphs like this one do sport distinctive spikes and spines, and black and white-banded legs.
It is the aggregation behavior of the adults in the fall that seems to be their most unique and identifying characteristic.
Since its first appearance in Pennsylvania, the brown marmorated stink bug has been discovered in the following states: Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and the District of Columbia. Specimens have also been intercepted by agriculture officials in California and Florida. Should you suspect you have found this species in a state not on this list, you are urged to report your finding (backed up with specimens whenever possible) to your state department of agriculture.
As with all of the insects being profiled in this series, care should be taken to exclude the bugs from entry into structures by repairing worn weatherstripping, mending holes in window screens, and sealing other possible points of entry with silicone caulking and other such materials.
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