There is nothing worse than to have your home invaded by bugs. The vast majority of people on this planet will attest to the fact that there is absolutely nothing pleasant about it. And that goes double, nay triple, for stink bugs! Whether you are easily freaked out by bugs and are an absolute entomophobe, or you just find them to be annoying at best, you no doubt are looking for a way how to get rid of stink bugs in the house.
The Challenge Of Dealing With Stink Bugs
Obviously dealing with the problem of stink bugs poses its own set of uniquely complex set of challenges that vary greatly from how you might deal with the problem of, let’s say ants, roaches, or termites.
For one thing, stink bugs are a tad bit bigger than other bugs. Adult stink bugs can grow to be as long as one whole inch in length, which is pretty large and unsightly for a bug. (Ants are more inconspicuous, measuring no more than half an inch even when fully grown.)
Secondly, stink bugs feed on fruits and vegetables exclusively, which sets them apart from other insects, such as ants which will eat a whole variety of other foods.
Thirdly, stink bugs seek out heat and light, as opposed to darkness.
Furthermore, stink bugs do not have any natural predators in the wild.
Fifth, stink bugs emit what is known as an aggregation pheromone, which is their way of calling out to other stink bugs and saying, “Hey everybody! Look where I am? Why don’t you come and join me too?”
And finally, stink bugs are well known for emitting a foul stench when threatened or attacked, in much the same way that skunks do.
Giving Stink Bugs An Eviction Notice
Ok, so if you have discovered one or more stink bugs in your home, the question arises as to what is the most effective way how to get rid of them. Obviously, if you have tried squashing them with a shoe, you have probably figured out that is by far not the best way to kill them, as they will leave a foul stench and bloody marks on the surface of whatever you killed them on.
And if you have given any thought to the use of pesticides, that is something that you should really only consider as a last resort.
So if squashing them and using pesticides to kill them are both not exactly the most ideal of solutions, then what are some alternative ways to deal with the problem and get them out of your house once and for all?
Here are a couple of general suggestions:
- Use what you know about stink bugs against them. Knowledge is power. The more your understand about what makes stink bugs tick, the easier it will be for you stay one step ahead of these critters and come up with a plan of action to extradite them (or exterminate them) from your home once and for all.
- Research ways how to set up stink bug traps within your home. This way you can lure them toward one receptacle where they can become entrapped and suffocated, drowned, poisoned, or starved to death. Or you can take the entrapping receptacle and dump the bugs outside if you don’t have the heart and the wherewithal to actually kill them. Stink bugs are attracted to four things: light, heat, fruit, and the aggregation hormones emanated by other members of the same species. You can use any combination of one or more of these as your bait to lure them into a trap that either kills them or merely traps them.
Preventing Stink Bugs From Entering Your House
It’s one thing to have to deal with a stink bug infestation within your house. But sadly that is just a mere half of the battle. When it comes to battling stink bugs, you have to confront them by waging a war on not one, but two fronts. One is to fight the bugs that are already within your house. And the other front is to fend off a fresh invasion of new bugs that are trying to come in from outside your house.
Here are a couple of tips on how to safeguard your home against an invasion of stink bugs:
- Seal off any cracks in the doors or windows to your house. Install a protective insect-proof guard over all vents leading into or out of your house.
- Keep your blinds shut at night so as not to attract any new stink bugs flying by which might be looking for a source of heat and light where they can seek shelter.
- Use a bug light zapper near your home. Stink bugs are very likely to fly directly toward it and then get zapped and die.
These lists above are by no means exhaustive. But it will give you an idea as to what you need to focus on. Please refer to the links in the above paragraphs within this section for more detailed tips and tricks on how to combat the stink bug problem both externally and from within.
Stink Bugs Make Poor Roommates
If you are faced with a situation where your home has been overrun by stink bugs, you can take some solace in the fact that they are not in any way particularly harmful to humans (although some people on various discussion forums will claim that they have been bitten by stink bugs before, whereas research has shown that they do not even possess the physical capacity to inflict any type of harm on animals, other insects, plants, or human beings. They don’t generally bite or sting. (They happen to have an appendage through which they are able to pierce through the skin of fruits and vegetables and suck the juice out of them, but this appendage is not used for attacking other animals and people.) They are just creepy and annoying at best. (Although that might be enough to drive some people into a fearsome panic.)
Read more about protecting your home against stink bugs.