How To Kill Stink Bugs

What Is A Stink Bug?

How To Kill Stink Bugs, Stink Bug Facts

What is a stink bug, you ask?

Well, in case you haven’t heard, there’s a mysterious new insect in town. Well, it’s not exactly “new” in terms of its place on the evolutionary scale of time. But it’s “new” in terms of the fact that it has mysteriously just emerged on the North American continent only within the past couple of decades.

Prior to this point in time, for thousands of years, stink bugs have only been known to live within the domestic regions of the Asian subcontinent, primarily in Taiwan and Korea.

So fret not, for if you had never seen a stink bug before until just recently, then you are not alone. This particular species of insect is, in fact, new to the North American continent. But somehow or the other, the very first generation of stink bugs was discovered in the United States.

And “ground zero” of the first ever official sighting of stink bugs on record in the United States happens to be Allentown, Pennsylvania back in the year 1998. Nobody knows exactly how the first wave stink bugs came to the United States. One can only theorize. The most prevalent theory is that they may have come here inadvertently as stowaways aboard a freight ship while importing goods from Asia. There is clearly no way that they could have flown here from there. So they would have had to have been transported here by mistake.

But what exactly is a stink bug then? The official zoological name given to this species of insect by the worldwide consortium of entomologists is halyomorpha halys.

Physical Characteristics

In terms of their physical characteristics, they are most often described as looking “reptilian” in nature. This is due to the rugged, leathery, shell-like appearance of the wings on their back. But that is essentially where the similarity between stink bugs and reptiles comes to an end.

They have antennae which are used as feelers.

They have a proboscis, which they use to pierce the skin of fruits and vegetables and to suck the juices out of them.

They have six legs.

But what makes stink bugs unique, setting it apart from all other members of the insect world, is the presence of stink glands which are located on the dorsal side of its abdomen.

Unique among members of the animal and insect kingdom, stink bugs exhibit a unique behavior as their self-defense mechanism: They release a pungent odor as a means to ward off potential predators. This is essentially similar to the behavior of a skunk. This stench is by no means lethal or toxic, but it is enough to drive animals, insects, and even humans away.

Many people report that these fumes bear a strong resemblance to that of the herb known as cilantro. And rightly so, because the composition of the odor consists of trans-2-decenal, which is coincidentally also the same chemical compound found naturally in cilantro!

The Stink Bug Diet

No, we’re not talking about humans eating stink bugs (although I’m sure that would be a sure-fire way of losing weight – but that’s a whole separate topic altogether). We are talking about the dietary habits of stink bugs themselves.

Stink bugs are 100% vegan. They eat fruits and vegetables only. They will ate anything from apples to pears, tomatoes to bell peppers, and more.

The Agricultural Threat

Having said this about their diet being purely vegan-based,  this calls to the forefront a very serious problem that the agricultural industry is facing in the United States: Stink bugs are destroying our crops. They will swarm in on crops and start feeding on them. They pierce the skin of a fruit or vegetable and start sucking the juices out of them, thus rendering the fruit spoiled for human consumption.

Believe it or not, this has become a priority within the highest levels of the US government, as the stink bug threat can cost potentially millions of dollars in lost revenue and lost food produce.

So what is the US government doing about the stink bug problem? What are they doing in order to quell their population growth? While a number of pesticide solutions have been tested and proven effective against stink bugs, the use of pesticides may not necessarily be the best choice. There are a number of different ways of dealing with the stink bug problem that are being explored.

Stink Bug Predators – The Food Chain

There are no known predators of stink bugs. Some household pets may try to eat them but that is highly unrealistic, considering the stench that stink bugs emanate whenever they are threatened.

The closest thing that is known to exist as a predator for stink bugs is the wasp: But rather than killing stink bugs, they will feed on their eggs that they lay.

Lifespan of Stink Bugs

Stink bugs have a lifespan of not more than 6 to 9 months on average. Yet ironically it is during this sort lifespan that they are able to multiply by hundreds each and every year, thereby resulting in the alarmingly explosive rate of population growth that we have been witnessing over the past couple of decades.

Reproductive Characteristics of Stink Bugs

Stink bugs lay eggs. Typically you will find that they lay their eggs in such a place so as to be attached to the underside of leaves on trees. And contrary to popular urban legends and myths, stink bugs do not lay eggs indoors. So you will never find a colony of newborn baby stink bugs emerging from inside your attic, basement, or within the confines of the walls of your home. They need the climate, the environmental conditions, and their surroundings to be precisely what is ideal for reproduction.

So one thing you can definitely count on is that once stink bugs start to colonize your home, they cannot multiply. Therefore, if you find that the number of stink bugs in your home seems to be increasing rather than decreasing, it is not because of reproduction, but because more and more stink bugs are aggregating in your home, which brings us to the next point:

Aggregation Pheromone

Perhaps you may have heard of the term “pheromone” in the context of sexual attraction between males and females of a particular species. Well, stink bugs have a similar pheromone, which is not necessarily used for mating purposes. It is known as an aggregation pheromone, and it is used for stink bugs to socialize with one another… to invite others to come and congregate on a particular location.

So if you find that once one stink bug gets into your home, more and more seem to be following it, it is precisely for this reason: They are emanating aggregation pheromones to attract others of the same species towards them.

Sources of Attraction

Stink bugs are attracted to sources of light and heat. This is why you will typically find that stink bugs inside your home will more often than not will be crawling on your windows. They want to go toward the source of light. During the daytime, they want to go toward the sunlight. And at night, stink bugs will flock toward the windowsills of homes where the lights are on inside.

The same applies to heat, which we will explain in further detail below.

Autumn And Stink Bugs

Did you know that the months of September and October are typically regarded as the peak of “stink bug season” in North America? Indeed, you will find that the vast majority of infestations of homes by stink bugs generally tend to occur during these two months out of the year, more than during any other months of the year, combined.

This is because it is during the onset of autumn that the atmospheric temperature in North America begins to drop and the autumnal equinox is reached, thereby rendering the number of hours of daylight to become less and less. As a result, stink bugs will begin to instinctively seek out sources of heat and light where they may take refuge to ride out the autumn and winter months.

Hibernation

Once stink bugs find a suitable sanctuary wherein they can take refuge during the autumn and winter months , they will end up going into a state of hibernation. In some cases, though, they may remain awake, due to the abundance of heat and light inside your home. So occasionally you might see stink bugs tarrying in your house, but this is less common.

How To Get Rid Of Stink Bugs Without The Stink

Getting rid of stink bugs without triggering the release of their trademark stink can be quite challenging. But there are a number of ways this can achieved. These methods typically will involve methods of stealth, such as by setting traps and what not.

Having said that, here are some tips on how to get rid of stink bugs while avoiding getting a whiff of that pungent odor sprayed on your face, arms, clothes, or your furniture.

Stink Bug Control

Extermination Methods, How To Kill Stink Bugs

Stink bug control can be a daunting challenge. It is a lot more complex than what meets the eye. The reason for this is based on a number of factors:

1) Stink bugs are not indigenous to the North American continent. Hence, whatever data we have on their characteristics and behavior in this habitat is based on a mere 2 decades worth of data. Beyond that, we must seek to understand what makes this particular species of insect tick, within its native habitat of southeastern Asia.

2) Stink bugs have no known predators in the food chain that would attack and feed off of them. Hence, as a result, the United States has witnessed an explosive population growth in terms of the sheer number of stink bugs that being born and are thriving each and every year. So if live, adult stink bugs are not being hunted, then there is means whereby nature is keeping their population in check. (This applies to adult stink bugs only, as it has been observed that certain species of wasps will actually feed off of the unborn eggs of stink bugs.)

3) Stink bugs are known for their trademark characteristic of emanating a pungent odor as a self-defensive mechanism whenever they are attacked or threatened. This makes the task of killing stink bugs to be anything but trivial. Why is this?

– For one, the odor is remarkably pungent enough so as to drive away and repulse most people and most members of the animal and insect kingdoms.

– And secondly, this foul stench that they give off is no subtle odor. It can be extremely overpowering, especially when multiple stink bugs are being threatened at once, and are all giving off that odor in unison! This odor can penetrate your skin, on your clothes, on the walls, on fabric, on furniture, and what not. And this odor is by no means easy to remove. It requires a great deal of deliberate scrubbing with plentiful soap in order to get rid of that smell completely.

Therefore, the methods of stink bug control, in many circumstances, can differ from that of how you might deal with the problem of some other typical household insect infestation, be it roaches, ants, or what have you.

In isolated cases, it might be possible to sneak up on a stink bug and then attempt to scoop it up with a paper towel. But more often than not, the stench can permeate through the paper towel and get onto the skin of your fingers. Therefore, you will want to try some other approach. And by other approach, we mean to say that you methods for stink bug control might end up having to involve using stealth as a means to achieve your goal.

Some examples of how you can kill stink bugs or at the very least get rid of them safely, using methods of stealth include:

– using a bagless hand-held vacuum cleaner. Simply sneak up behind the bug (or in front of it, for that matter), and push the button to active the vacuum. The bug will be sucked into the debris chamber instantly. Will the stink bug still give off its odor? It sure will. But at least the odor will be confined to the innards of the vacuum debris chamber and will not be exposed to the outside world.

– setting up a trap with bait. There are many different variations on traps you can set up for stink bugs. First of all, you can use different types of bait in order to lure and attract them toward the trap.

* For example, armed with a little bit of knowledge, you might have learned that stink bugs are pure vegetarians. They feed off of the juices found within various fruits and vegetables, such as apples, and pairs, etc. So if you could lay out a piece of fruit as bait, you can then set a trap that engulfs the bug when it comes to feed off of it.

* Or, you can set up a light trap that zaps the bug when it approaches it.

* Or, you can set up a trap that involves adhesive fly paper and other stink bugs that are already stuck to it. Entomologists have observed that this particular species of insect gives off what is known as an aggregation pheromone, whose purpose is to attract other stink bugs to come and congregate with it. So if you have one stink bug stuck to a piece of fly paper, then it may be able to attract others toward the same location, and consequently also get stuck on the paper as well.

* Or, you can use common household dish-washing liquid that comes in a spray bottle. Indeed, it has become widely accepted that dish washing liquid is harmful, if not lethal, to stink bugs. Simply spray this in generous quantities onto the belly of a stink bug, and watch it writhe frantically in pain until it succumbs to paralysis and eventually to death.

* Or, you can also rely on commercially available pesticide sprays. But this would have to be purely a measure of last resort, which would only be used in the most extremely challenging of circumstances. If you suffer from a severe stink bug infestation, and you need to exterminate them en masse, then pesticide might be the best option for you.

– This also applies to farms and gardens. If you are a farmer and you run the risk of losing your crops to stink bugs, then a pesticide solution may be the answer.

– Also in the case of farms and gardens, wherever feasible, you should consider putting an insect-proof net over your crops. Or house as much of your crops within a greenhouse as possible, in which there are no other known insects. It should be an immaculate environment, where stink bugs are not already present, have not already been there before, and which would not be likely to attract any more additional stink bugs.

Here are some more practical solutions on stink bug control.

 

 

 

 

 

What Kills Stink Bugs

How To Kill Stink Bugs

What kills stink bugs? Well duh. Squashing them, right? I’m sure you feel pretty sheepish reading this answer because you already knew that, right?

But seriously. If you are reading this, then that’s most probably not the answer you were looking for. That’s not what brought you to this web page. What you are no doubt looking for is an alternative to squashing them. You are looking for a way to exterminate them, expel them out from your house once and for all, and keep them from ever invading your home ever again… all without having to deal with that foul stench of their that they emit whenever they are threatened or frightened.

Alternatives To Squashing

Here is list a of ways (which is by no means exhaustive) of ways to kill stink bugs without having to resort to outright squashing them:

  1. You can always vacuum them up. Having a bagless handvac fully charge and readily available can help you pick up stink bugs quickly, effortlessly, mess-free, and odor-free. It also makes disposing of them a much simpler process as well.
  2. You can set up traps for them. You can lure them with either fresh fruit or a source of light and heat, as in the case of one of those bug zapper lights. In the case of the fruit, you can affix the fruit with fly-paper so that when the stink bug lands on the fruit and attempts to eat it, it will get stuck!
  3. You can spray them with dish soap. Apparently this common household cleaning agent is not only good for cleaning your dishes and softening your hands, but also for lethally exterminating stink bugs!
  4. Setting them free by luring them outside. This can be accomplished either by vacuuming them up and then setting them free, or by setting a trap for them and then releasing them outside, or using some other means to lure them outside.
  5. If you don’t mind stink bugs dying a slow death, you need only deprive them of their primary source of nutrition: fruits and vegetables.
  6. If you want to prevent stink bugs from reproducing, you need to cut off their access to trees and shrubs near your home where they can lay their eggs, by spraying them with pesticides.
  7. If you want nature to take its course and kill stink bugs, then introducing wasps into the habitat where stink bugs can be found will be a good way to keep the stink bug population from growing out of control, as it has been found that wasps will feed on stink bug eggs.

There are many more ways how to deal with the problem of these bugs. The above list of the 7 most popular and most common solutions really just skims the surface.

Keep in mind, though, that killing stink bugs by means of squashing them isn’t in and of itself a bad thing, were it not for the odor that they give off when attacked or threatened. Depending on what surfaces the stench comes into contact with and is able to permeate, it can be quite problematic to thoroughly clean and disinfect said surfaces in order to completely wipe out every last trace of the odor-causing spray that they give out.

And it might not be that much of a big deal if you find yourself only having to kill about one or two stink bugs every few days. But if your home is starting to get quite literally overrun by these little bugger to the point where you would consider the need to call for professional help.

Also keep in mind that stink bugs are not in any way harmful to humans. They don’t bite or anything like that. So if fear of getting bitten by a stink bug is what keeps you up all night, and paralyzes you to the point where you are hesitating to take action to purge your home of these bugs, then hopefully this fact that they are actually harmless should allay some of your fears, if not all of them.

The only harm that stink bugs really can cause is damage to farm crops or to gardens where fruits and vegetables are being grown out in fields. It being the case that stink bugs are strictly vegan insects that feed on fruits and vegetables, this is one thing that requires a lot of proactive planning and action in order to prevent a loss of your vegetation.

While the use of pesticides may work in terms of keeping stink bugs at bay, it is by no means the ideal solution. Just think of all of the environmental harm you are causing. Just think about the unintended consequences that your produce will suffer on account of you using pesticides to deal with your stink bug problem.

There are many non-toxic means how to kill stink bugs. Pesticides really should be kept as an absolute last resort when all other means to address the problem have been tried, exhausted, and failed. Solutions such as the setting up of traps can be every bit as effective as pesticides, if not better, if you do all of your planning properly. You can use fly paper. You can use a bug zapper. You can lure them toward the trap using fruits and vegetables, or by keeping other previously caught stink bugs nearby, such that they release their aggregation pheromone, thereby attracting other stink bugs and luring them into the trap.

In answer to the question of what kills stink bugs, your best bet would be to go with item number 3 which I have described above: spraying them with dish washing soap. This seemingly innocuous cleaning agent seems like it can do no harm, but somehow it had been discovered that it is highly lethal and paralyzing to stink bugs. Now there are many other household chemicals besides dish soap that will work just as well, but dish soap happens to be one of the most popular and well-known among the “home remedies” for dealing with the stink bug problem.

Let me share with you some more secrets, tips and tricks on what kills stink bugs.

 

Killing Stink Bugs – Mission Impossible?

How To Kill Stink Bugs

Killing stink bugs may seem like mission impossible, not because it isn’t easy to do it. Sure, they can be squashed like any other bug. But the problem with killing them very clearly has to do with the big stink that they cause when you kill them. Anyone who has had any first hand experience with trying to kill stink bugs by means of the good old fashioned way – taking a shoe and crushing them – knows that while doing so may indeed get the job done, this is an action that is not without its consequences!

So the “impossibility” of killing them stems from the challenge of trying to put an end to their misery (and to ours) by any other means whereby this feat can be accomplished without causing them to give off that stink. It’s not that the stink is necessarily in and of itself a bad thing. It’s not like their stink is poisonous to humans or anything like that. But, as is the case with the smell of a skunk, the odor that stink bugs emanate is extremely pungent and potent. It’s not that easy for the smell to go away, especially if it gets on your skin, on your clothes, on your sheets and linens, your curtains, or what have you.

The good news, however, is that with a bit of creativity and ingenuity, it is possible to not only exterminate stink bugs, but to drive them out of homes, and to prevent more stink bugs from entering our homes. And what’s even more good news is that you do not need to resort to the extreme of using pesticides either within your home or even in your garden (or your crops if you are a farmer). And you should not ever need to call an exterminator either. Not even as a last resort. Save your money. You can get rid of stink bugs yourself. Believe me.

Even if you have a huge phobia against stink bugs, or the sight of stink bugs just makes you squeamish, and you wouldn’t dare go anywhere near the sight of these ugly reptilian-looking pests… the good news is that you can deal with the stink bug problem on your own. There are many non-intrusive ways to do it without ever having to come close to these critters or coming in close contact with them. In fact, you can get rid of stink bugs without ever having to look at them either, if you don’t want to.

And this holds true, regardless of whether we are talking about a minor stink bug problem where you just happen to see one or two stink bugs a day in your house, or whether you have a major infestation problem where entire colonies of stink bugs are nesting somewhere deep within the recesses and crevices of your home and you have no idea where they are coming from. Even if you have so many stink bugs in your home that you have lost count, and that it seems like no matter how many you kill, more keep emerging in their place, it is possible to put an end to your stink bug problems once and for all.

And furthermore this holds true even if your stink bug infestation problem is external to your house, whether the problem be in the garden in your back yard, or in a field of crops that you maintain if you happen to manage a farm. No matter whether the scope of your stink bug problem is large or small, the task of killing stink bugs need not be overwhelming and daunting.

If you approach the problem logically with a proven plan of action, you can rid yourself of your stink bug problems in no time flat. The secret to killing stink bugs, driving them away, and keeping them away, permanently and forever relies on arming yourself as much knowledge as you can about what makes these critters tick. You may have heard the expressions “know thy enemy” or “knowledge is power”. Well, this holds very true for stink bugs. The more knowledge that you can arm yourself with about stink bugs, the more effectively you can use that knowledge against them.

Let me give you a few examples of what I mean:

1. Did you know that stink bugs feed on fruits and vegetables only? Do you know how they eat? If they find an apple, whether it is lying around in a fruit bowl in your kitchen, or it is growing on an apple tree outside, stink bugs will perch themselves on the apple and pierce the skin and start sucking up the juices of the apple, thus drying the apple from the inside out. Armed with the knowledge that stink bugs only eat fruits and vegetables, you could easily use this information to locate and isolate stink bugs and set traps for them.

2. Did you know that stink bugs seek sources of warmth and light? You can use this information as a means to redirect them. (eg- turn off the lights in areas of your house where you don’t want them to be and turn on the lights where you want them to flock towards. And better yet, you can set up a light zapper as a trap to lure them and kill them.

3. Did you know that stink bugs lay eggs and attach them to the underside of leaves on trees? Armed with this knowledge, you can make an informed decision about where to locate and isolate them. And you can take measures to destroy the eggs to prevent more stink bugs from being born.

4. Have you ever wondered what makes stink bugs flock together? Turns out they emit a special type of pheromone that acts as a beacon that attracts other stink bugs to their location. This is what makes them congregate together in clusters. But this pheromone chemical is not to be confused with the chemical that they spray that makes their trade mark odor. That is entirely different, and is for an entirely different purpose: warding off predators. So one thing you can do is devise a plan such that if you can lure a stink bug into a trap and then that bug is stimulated such that this pheromone is released, then other stink bugs will also automatically be lured into the trap.

So as you can see there are a number of do-it-yourself ways to go about killing stink bugs. Now, in this article we have merely skimmed the surface of what you can do. But the devil is in the details, as the saying goes.

Now, having said that, let’s delve into the specifics of the various methods of killing stink bugs.

What Will Kill Stink Bugs?

Extermination Methods, How To Kill Stink Bugs

Have you ever tried to kill stink bugs? If you have tried to kill them the old fashioned way, by attempting to squash them or swat them, then you must know from first hand experience how unpleasant the process of killing them can be to your olfactory senses. Whether you are able to successfully kill them or they somehow manage to flee your wrath, perhaps you got to experience the self-defense mechanism of the stink bug first-hand.

If you have ever caught a whiff of the noxious odor that these little buggers emanate whenever they are frightened or attacked, then you might be inclined to think twice about attempting to kill them in this manner next time around. As a result, attempting to kill stink bugs can present a whole host of logistical challenges. It requires a certain degree of ingenuity, as you have to plan out how to kill them in such a way so as to contain them before they can release that odor.

The odor that they release isn’t in and of itself harmful to humans. It is more of a nuisance, which is enough to act as a deterrent against most any predator in nature.

How NOT To Kill Stink Bugs

As mentioned above, one method you definitely do not want to employ is to squash them outright. You also don’t want to use a method of extermination that leaves them exposed such that if they are able to summon the ability to release that odor, that they do so right at the moment before dying. On the contrary, you want to do everything that you can to contain the bug such that the odor can’t be released into the air.

Another common solution that most people resort to when it comes to serious insect infestations in their homes is the use of pesticide sprays. While the commercial vendors of these products will tout their effectiveness and exterminating bugs and keeping your home safe from future infestations of them,  the fact of the matter is that pesticides can often times do more harm than good. They can yield unintended consequences. Pesticides are bad for the environment. They are toxic to household pets. And obviously if you have babies and small children in the house, you don’t want them going anywhere near the areas of the house that were treated with any type of bug spray. That’s just not a smart solution.

 

What’s The Big Stink About The Smell?

So what exactly is the big deal about the stink bug smell? If it is not harmful to humans or animals in any way, nor is it lethal even to their predators (in much the same way that the odor released by a skunk is annoying at best and is non-lethal to any of its predators) then why bother to go through the pains of trying to avoid the smell whilst in the process of attempting to exterminate them? Why not just put up with the stench while squashing them?

Your mileage may vary, but there is a reason why stink bugs were endowed with the weapon of stink as their primary and sole means of self-defense. It is enough of a deterrent to drive away just about any predator, and that includes human beings.

You wouldn’t want to linger near a skunk would you? If you spend too long in the presence of a skunk, then its odor could quite literally permeate your skin, your clothing, and your possessions.

So… What Will Kill Stink Bugs Then?

There are a vast number of “homeopathic” ways to kill stink bugs without ever having to call an exterminator, use bug sprays, or squash them. In fact, there are many ways how to kill stink bugs, repel them, and drive them away without you ever having to come in close contact with them, without you having to handle them, or without you having to become the target of their stink bombing.

Some of the most popular solutions for do-it-yourself, non-toxic, low-cost (or free) extermination include the following:

Dish Soap

Yes, believe it or not, dish soap is perhaps one of the most potent and most cost-effective means to kill stink bugs. There’s no need for you to be going out and spending money on expensive bug sprays and other pesticides. Good old fashioned dish washing liquid is sufficient to do the trick.

All you have to do is to keep yourself armed and ready with a spray bottle filled with dish soap. When you see a stink bug, just reach for the spray bottle, and then get ready, aim, and fire! A few squirts is all you will need in order to paralyze and to stop the stink bug dead in its tracks.

If you don’t believe me, try this for yourself! You will see just how effective it truly is.

One piece of advice, though: Be sure to aim for the stink bug’s belly if at all possible. Aiming for its back, where the “armored shield” of the bug is located is not nearly as effective, as this “shield” tends to provide some measure of protection for the bug.

So there you have it! You can keep your dishes clean and get rid of stink bugs in one shot!

Hair spray

Similar to dish soap, hair spray is another extremely potent weapon against stink bugs. And the principle is the same. If you see a stink bug, just grab your bottle of hair spray, shake well before use (just kidding about this part, I’m not sure whether you need to shake well before using it as an insect extermination tool as opposed trying to do your hair), aim, and fire the spray at the bug.

A few sprays ought to do the trick. The first couple of sprays will merely paralyze them. But a few more should be sufficient to kill them.

And of course, try to aim for their underbelly, as this would be the most expedient spot to get the job done most quickly.

Lemon Juice and Vinegar

Believe it or not, lemon juice mixed with vinegar is another potent, natural pesticide for stink bugs. As it turns out, the high level of acidity found in these two fluids is enough to stop stink bugs dead in their tracks. It is okay to mix some water in with these in order to increase the quantity of the spray. But don’t put too much, lest it dilutes the effectiveness of the mixture.

Put it into a spray bottle and fire away.

Disposal of Stink Bugs

Once you kill a stink bug, how should you dispose of it?

You can either flush dead stink bugs down the toilet, of if that is not an option for you,  it is advisable that when you scoop them up, you do so gently so as not to squash them. If you squash them, you might run the risk of compressing the glands through which they release their trademark stink. If you have access to a plastic sandwich bag, it may be a good  idea to place the stink bug carcass into the bag and seal it up, before disposing of it. This will also prevent it from being compressed in the trash and thereby inadvertently releasing the stink.

A More “Hands-Off” Approach To Killing Stink Bugs

You can also seek to get rid of them without killing them directly, if getting up close and personal with a stink bug in order to spray it is something that repulses you. There are cleaner, easier, less messy, more “hands off” approaches, such as these two below:

Stink bug traps

You can always set up stink bug traps that are designed to lure them in and then entrap them, and in the process either killing them on contact, keeping them stuck until they die of dehydration or starvation, or keeping them alive until you come by and dispose of them or release them from the receptacle that you have entrapped them within.

 

Sucking it up

When in doubt, if the mere thought of coming within a few inches (or a few feet) of a stink bug frightens or repulses you, then your best bet would be to use a vacuum cleaner with a long extension hose to suck them up. Hopefully the stink bug will suffocate within the confines of the vacuum bag (or the bagless compartment, amidst all the other dirt and dust). And you can empty out the vacuum into the trash at your own leisure. And for those of you who are extremely paranoid about bugs, the chances of the stink bug somehow escaping from the vacuum cleaner or remaining alive for too long in there are pretty slim.

Micro-deforestation

If you live on a property on which there are a large number of trees and shrubs, you may want to ascertain whether stink bugs have made this greenery into their home. One thing that we know for sure is that stink bugs will lay eggs and attach them to the underside of leaves. And so when they hatch and are looking for a place of heat and warmth, particularly at night, or during the spring and autumn months, they may all flock toward the windows of your house.

If the property belongs to you, then you may want to seriously consider cutting down some of the trees or shrubs near your house where you suspect that stink bugs might be dwelling. This attempt at micro-deforestation may help to forestall what might otherwise have been a chronic source of new stink bugs seeking refuge in your house in droves.

The bottom line is that stink bugs are a nuisance and they are indeed, without a doubt, a bear to kill. Their population seems to be on the rise, particularly in the western hemisphere. While the government is aware of the stink bug population crisis, these bugs are not going anywhere anytime soon. They managed to come aboard our shores from abroad within the past couple of decades, and now they are here to stay.

We have to learn how to deal with them in the manner that is the most expedient. And that just might mean educating ourselves a little bit better about the best ways how to kill stink bugs and prevent them from invading our homes.

Stink Bug Repellent

How To Kill Stink Bugs

The use of stink bug repellent is just one of the many ways how to deal with the stink bug problem. If you are looking for foolproof solutions for how to keep stink bugs out of your home, then the good news is that you have many choices. There are many options at your disposal – everything from sealing off your home, to setting up stink bug traps, and more.

One of these options is to use a stink bug repellent. Now, unfortunately, there is no one magic-bullet compound that is known to repel stink bugs. It’s not as though there is a substance that is known to repel them, in much the same way that kryptonite is known to repel Superman. And it’s not as though you can just walk into a store and buy “stink bug repellent“.

While there are many bug spray companies that market commercial products that supposedly are specifically geared toward repelling or killing stinks, none of these are foolproof, and many of these are proven to be ineffective, and in many cases some of these products might actually cause more harm than good – to the environment, and to young children and other pets living in the house.

But what we do know that is that there are many ways to create the conditions that would drive away stink bugs, discourage them from entering your home, and some ways which can be lethal to them.

Dish Soap As Stink Bug Repellent

When it comes to repellents that can be used to drive away or to exterminate stink bugs, you don’t need to waste your money on expensive commercial-grade pesticides. There are many home-made solutions you can concoct in order to achieve the same results.

One of the most commonly well-known home-made stink bug repellents is none other than the common household product: dish washing liquid.

Even an exposure to a minuscule amount of dish soap can be lethal to stink bugs, believe it not. And if you don’t believe me, go ahead and try this at home:

Grab an empty water bottle with a spray nozzle and fill it up with dish washing liquid. Next time you see a stink bug crawling on a window inside your house, aim the sprayer at it and squeeze the trigger a couple of times. What you see happening next should leave you feeling smug with a profound sense of vindication: the stink bug will stop dead in its tracks, and if it is crawling on a wall, it will lose its grip and fall down. It will become immobilized.

And then of course you can spray it a couple more times for good measure. Just be sure that you aim for the stink bug’s underbelly, as that is its most vulnerable spot. Do note that in some cases, if you don’t use enough liquid, the stink bug will only become temporarily immobilized and may reanimate again after some time, once the effect of this toxin (toxic to the bug, not to us humans) is purged from its system.

Who would have thought that a seemingly innocuous product such as dish washing liquid could be so lethal to these pesky pests?

There are various other types of stink bug repellent concoctions you can come up with, but the aforementioned is a very low cost, extremely effective, and safe (harmless to humans) solution. No need for you to resort to insecticides or anything of that nature.

As far as stink bug repellent solutions on a larger scale, if you have a massive stink bug infestation problem, there really isn’t any thing that can “repel” stink bugs per se. On the contrary, you are better off setting up stink bug traps to capture and kill stink bugs instead.

 

Do Stink Bugs Really Stink?

How To Kill Stink Bugs

Do stink bugs really stink? Or is that just an exaggeration? Well, you know the old saying “there’s only one way to find out”?

Wait… Never mind, don’t try this at home, kids. Because I would highly recommend that you don’t try to find out whether stink bugs really stink or not!

Take it from me, from first hand experience! The odor that they emit is not exactly a pleasant one. Trust me, when you squash a stink bug, only to get a whiff of its stench in your face, you won’t be sitting there saying “yum…. that smells good. Let me squash some more stink bugs just so I can catch another whiff of this smell”.

And you want to know something really ironic? Many people can attest to the fact that the odor that stink bugs emanate bears a striking resemblance to the smell of the herb known as cilantro!

Yet, when it comes to the stink bug stench, it is downright putrid. But when you smell cilantro, it can be an extremely pleasant culinary aroma.

(Although me personally, after my first encounter with stink bugs and smelling them, I was a little turned off from eating any foods prepared with cilantro for a few weeks.)

In all seriousness, the fact of the matter is that the chemical released by stink bugs as their self-defense mechanism does indeed contain the same compound as that found in cilantro. This has been scientifically proven.

(So does that mean that stink bugs evolved from cilantro?? Nobody can say that for sure, but I don’t think animals and insects ever evolved from plant life, but there may be some evolutionary, genetic relationship that exists between these two, that scientists have yet to discover.)

Isn’t it amazing that of all the self defense mechanisms that every animal or insect on the face of this earth possess, the stink bug should be gifted with that of a foul stench? They don’t bite. They don’t sting. They just emit an odor when they are attacked or frightened, not unlike how a skunk does.

What is interesting about it is that this stench is sufficient to drive away just about any predator, including human beings!

The difference is that we human beings know that stink bugs smell like cilantro, an odor that many of us humans actually find to be quite pleasant.

So does this mean that the effect that this smell has on humans is purely psychological? I mean, what if a person were to be blindfolded and were subjected to a “smell test”. You bring a plate of cilantro up to their nose and have them smell it? And then you bring a plate that has a dead stink bug laden bathed in its own odor?

If you were blindfolded and subjected to such a smell test, would you be able to discern the difference? Would you be able to tell which one is the stink bug and which one is the actual cilantro?

Now the question arises as to whether this smell is harmful for you in any way? Or is it just an annoying nuisance?

One thing is for sure! When the smell gets on your skin, you really need to scrub hard with soap and hot water in order to get it off! And if the smell gets on your clothes, they need to go in the laundry right away! The smell is quite potent and can be extremely stubborn to remove. So it is definitely a nuisance! Getting rid of that stink bug smell can be quite a challenge.

As for whether it is harmful for you or not, entomologists (scientists who study insects) have established that it doesn’t cause you harm in any way. But then again, you probably wouldn’t want to swim in a vat of the chemical they release. but the nominal quantity that a single stink bug sprays on you is not enough to cause any type of skin irritation or anything of that sort.

But the bottom line is that it is this stink that makes exterminating stink bugs into a real challenge. Because, unlike other insects such as roaches or ants, the last thing you want to do is squash them, let alone even frighten them! If you even try to shoo them away or swat at them, they will release that odor!

Therefore, what is the best way how to deal with the stink bug problem? Well, you need to come up with creative ways how to kill stink bugs using techniques that involve stealth… such that you can catch them by surprise, quarantine them, and kill them before they even have a chance to emit that odor…. or if you are able to quarantine them, then at least when they do emit that odor, it will be contained within an enclosure so that it doesn’t get anywhere else.

Some examples of how to do this might be to set up stink bug traps, or to simply vacuum them up when you see them. Or if you aren’t afraid of bugs, you could gently lure them onto a paper towel and then escort them outside of your house and release them into the wild (hoping that they won’t come back, but the issue of how to protect your home from further invasions of stink bugs is a whole different topic altogether).

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What Do Stink Bugs Eat?

How To Kill Stink Bugs

The question of what do stink bugs eat is a fascinatingly curious one.

Ever since this particular species of insect first arrived on the shores of the United States a couple of decades ago, many entomologists have been scrambling to gather as much information and learn as much as possible about them. Their numbers have grown exponentially over the course of this time.

Having first been identified in Allentown Pennsylvania and now having spread to well over 38 states nationwide, even the federal government, through the auspices of both the USDA (United States Department Of Agriculture) and the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), has now taken it upon itself to divert some of our tax dollars toward finding a solution to this troublesome stink bug epidemic, before things get blown completely out of control. And believe it or not, an investigation as to what constitutes the typical diet of stink bugs is a critical one.

Why Does It Matter To Us?

Why does it matter what do stink bugs eat? Why would the government want to spend our hard-earned tax dollars on something that is better off being privately funded for entomological research at universities? The answer is quite simple: There is the old saying that knowledge is power. By arming ourselves with as much information as possible about what makes stink bugs tick, we will be able to devise more effective strategies on how to quell their population growth and exterminate them in the most expeditious manner possible. While we are a far cry from a total mass extinction of bug race, we can do whatever is within our technological means to keep their population in check.

Stink Bugs Are Vegans

Having said all of this, the answer to the question as to what do stink bugs eat has been determined to be, without a doubt, a steady diet that consists one hundred percent of fruits and vegetables. They don’t feed on wheat. They don’t feed on meat. They don’t feed on grain, rice, leaves, or grass. They don’t even suck on the blood from other animals the way some other insects do. They are, for all intents and purposes, one hundred percent pure vegans.

Where And How Do They Eat?

As for the question of where do stink bugs find their food, the simple answer is that stink bugs are notorious both here in the United States as well as in southeast Asia, for congregating en masse in farming fields where crops of fruits and / or vegetables are being grown and harvested.

What these bugs will do is pierce the outer skin of any particular fruit or vegetable and suck out the juice from that fruit. (So perhaps it could more appropriate to say that stink bugs don’t eat fruits and vegetables. They drink the juice that gets squeezed out from that particular piece of produce.

And once a stink bug does that to a piece of fruit, that piece of fruit is no longer  safe nor is it appetizing to consume anymore. There will be unsightly holes in the skin of the apple, plus it will show signs of serious discoloration. That particular fruit item will have been destroyed and will be unsalable on the market, for all intents and purposes.

The Threat To Agriculture

Believe it or not, this tendency of stink bugs to raid produce crops on farms has become a serious problem, that has elevated itself to the level of a crisis that must be dealt with. Stink bugs have caused millions of dollars worth of damage to farmer crops across the country.

And therefore, the United States federal government has made it a top priority to identify the means how to deal with the threat of stink bugs and thus either minimize or eliminate the damage being done to the US economy and food supply as a result of their eating habits.

Your Tax Dollars At Work 

So next time you file your federal income taxes, let’s take a moment to appreciate the fact that Uncle Sam, in his infinite wisdom, is spending some of your tax dollars to figure out what do stink bugs eat, in an effort to use that information against them (eg – by setting up traps laden with fruit to lure, capture, and exterminate them).

How To Get Rid Of Stink Bugs Naturally

How To Kill Stink Bugs

Stink bugs have become a real problem in the western hemisphere over the past couple of decades. Farmers are up in arms about the problem. And things have gotten so bad that it has come to the point where even the United States federal government is having to step in to help find a solution to this problem.

What is at stake here? The potential for massive financial loss due to damage to agricultural crops. Stink bugs feed on fruits and vegetables, and so what we have seen over the past two decades ever since these bugs were accidentally brought here from overseas in Asia, is that they descend upon entire crops of fruits and vegetables en masse. As they suck up the juices from the fruits and vegetables they feed upon, these crops become destroyed and unsellable in the marketplace.

With a population that has been multiplying at an alarmingly exponential rate, something must be done about this problem. The question is, what steps can be taken to curb their population growth?

Obviously we have access to pesticides. But the decision to use pesticides is never something that you should take lightly, as its exposure to your home environment can cause unintended consequences that could be harmful or even lethal to you, your children, or your household pets. Is it really worth the risk to use pesticides? What if there are better, more efficient, and more effective ways? Your stink bug infestation would have to be really severe and out of control in order for you to decide that you need to resort to using pesticides. They should really only be used as a measure of last resort.

And then there are many other clever ways that have been devised for how to get rid of stink bugs naturally or through some other means that does not involve any manual intervention. (We all know what happens if we try to manually kill a stink bug by squashing it with a shoe or some other object, right? You get a big whiff of a putrid odor right in your face, thanks to the stink bug’s self-defense mechanism.

One very simple solution is to use a vacuum cleaner to suck them up. This catches them by surprise, giving them little or no time to react. You get them before they able to spray that odor in your face. And once they enter the vacuum, they will be unable to escape and it will only be a matter of time before they will die due to either suffocation, starvation, or dehydration.

And then there are stink bug traps which you can set up with which to capture them. These traps come in all different shapes and sizes and function in many different ways. There are some traps which are commercially available, designed exclusively for use to entrap stink bugs and allow them to die naturally (as opposed to being killed directly by any apparatus connected to the trap). And then there are many stink bug traps that you can design entirely on your own using household products such as buckets, jars, light bulbs, dish soap, and fly paper. All you have to do is Youtube how to set up your own stink bug traps and you will find numerous videos with many different creative and unique ideas on how to create and set up your own stink bug traps. Which type you choose to create depends on your skill level and comfort level, as well as how complex or serious your particular stink bug infestation problem happens to be.

Researchers in recent years have been looking for ways how to get rid of stink bugs naturally – without any human intervention at all; in other words, they are looking for a way for nature to take its course in order to slow down their population growth or to kill them off through some natural or environmental means. And what they found is that while stink bugs have no known predators in the wild who would hunt them down, kill them and eat them, there is a species of Asian wasp known as Trissolcus, that may show some promise as a means to keep stink bug population growth in check.

Apparently this species of parasitic wasp will “hijack” the eggs laid by stink bugs by piercing the eggs and then laying their own eggs inside the eggs of the stink bug. The unborn stink bug larvae are devoured from the inside out, such that when the egg does finally hatch, a baby wasp is born… and there is no trace of the baby stink bug whatsoever!

The theory goes that if a large population of stink bugs is identified somewhere, and you are able to find stink bug eggs having been laid, you can introduce these Asian wasps into that environment and they will eventually kill off the baby stink bug eggs before they are ever born.

Now where can these stink bug eggs be found? They are most typically found on the underside of leaves hanging from trees. So according to this theory, you can unleash one or more Asian wasps into the environment and they would devour the stink bug eggs and claim them for their own babies soon thereafter.

The bottom line is that there are ways how to get rid of stink bugs naturally. And the government is working on it. In the meantime, there are many different ways to combat the stink bug problem without having to resort to doing something that you are not comfortable doing, such as squashing them.

If you are the type of person who is deathly scared of bugs and don’t want to have to even deal with killing them, the good news is that there are a myriad of ways, as described above, how you can get rid of them without having to get too close to them.

 

Best Way To Get Rid Of Stink Bugs

Extermination Methods, How To Kill Stink Bugs, Sprays and Traps

One of the questions that most people frequently ask is what is the best way to get rid of stink bugs. Obviously, anyone who comes forward to ask this type of question must be doing so because they have already tried to kill them before, only to discover and learn the hard way that when you try to scare or kill a stink bug, you will get a whiff of an unpleasantly foul odor in your face.

Indeed, stink bugs were gifted by mother nature with a self-defense mechanism similar to that of the skunk: Whenever it becomes frightened or it comes under attack, it sprays it releases a noxious odor into the air as a deterrent. This odor isn’t lethal or necessarily even irritating to the bronchial passageways in any way. But it can be downright unpleasant and annoying. Incidentally, any animal or bird who tries to eat the stink bug will most likely be repulsed by the smell and taste (it tastes just as bad as it smells).

And once the chemicals are released that give off this odor, it can be difficult to get that odor out of whatever it comes in contact with, whether it is clothing, carpeting, or furniture.

Therefore, it is so much a question as to how to get rid of stink bugs. We all know that you can just squash them like any other household bug. But the true question that should be asked is what is the best way to get rid of stink bugs. What is the best way to get of them such that it is done in a manner whereby the stink bug does not give off its trademark stink and it does not contaminate any surface with its stink.

And the answer to this question is that there is no one right way or wrong way how to kill stink bugs. There are many different ways to get rid of them in a non-intrusive manner. Let’s examine the common core ways you can properly capture, kill, and dispose of stink bugs without having to deal with the stink.

There are really only a few basic methods to combat stink bugs. Everything else is just a derivative variation of these basic few. Read on to learn some basic ways how to get rid of stink bugs. And then you can use your own imagination and judgment to go crazy and get creative and find a solution that works best for you:

Method #1: Use A Vacuum Cleaner

One of the most tried and true methods of capturing stink bugs and confining them is to use a vacuum cleaner. This method can actually apply to just about any insect of course. But in the case of a stink bug, it is one way to guarantee capture of the bug without having to squash it or deal with the possibility of frightening it. Even if you do frighten the stink bug in the process, the suction of the vacuum will immediately suck up the chemicals it releases that cause its trademark odor, so you don’t have to worry about getting the smell on anything.

Plus, once the bug has been confined in the vacuum cleaner, it will not be able to get out. If left within the cleaner’s bag, it will eventually suffocate, starve, or die of dehydration. Or it may be crushed or pierced by any of the surrounding dust or dirt within the vacuum. And then you can, at your own leisure and liberty, dispose of the contents of the vacuum into a trash bag that you can throw out at your curb / in a nearby dumpster.

Method #2: Setting Up A Trap

Another popular way to capture and get rid of stink bugs is to set up a trap. There are umpteen different ways to set up traps. But the core idea is basically the same among all of them:

You set up a source of light that attracts stink bugs, or you set up a plate full of fruit (stink bugs feed on fruits and vegetables), to lure the bug. Once it arrives, it can either be confined in an enclosure from which it cannot escape. (This could be something as simple as placing a cover over the dish for example.) Or it gets stuck to an adhesive surface. Or it comes in contact with a chemical that is known to be harmful to stink bugs such as common household dish soap (it has been found that dish soap is lethal to stink bugs so there is no need to deal with complicated pesticide sprays which is a good thing if you are having to deal with these bugs inside your house). Or in the case of the light source, it could be outfitted with a bug zapper.

So the gist of it is that you can set up a trap for stink bugs and lure them toward it. This has been proven to be quite effective but requires a great deal of patience and luck.

Method #3: Dish Soap

As alluded to in method #2 above with reference to dish soap, it has been proven through much trial and error that stink bugs are indeed averse to this common household cleaning agent. If you were to spray a stink bug’s belly with dish washing liquid from a spray bottle, for example, it will become immobilized. If you were to drop a stink bug in a vat of dish washing liquid, it will perish quickly just as well (but then again so would pretty much any other animal).

So if you see a bunch of stink bugs crawling on your windows, and you were to spray them with dish washing liquid, they will most likely fall right off of the window and become paralyzed. You can then use this as your opportunity to vacuum them up or scoop them up with a paper towel without worrying about them flying away or attempting to scurry away, because they won’t be able to.

One very important note, however: Don’t bother trying to spray the top half of the stink bug. That “shield” on the upper half of their body is impervious to dish soap. What you need to do is aim for the underbelly of the bug instead.

Any one of these 3 methods described above will work, or some combination thereof. Or you can get creative and come up with a variation on one of these methods and apply it on your own.

There is no one best way to get rid of stink bugs. But each of these methods are an example of how you can in fact combat them without having to come in contact with them or without having to deal with that foul stench of theirs.