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How to Get Rid of Stink Bugs


Summary: Stink bugs are nuisances that will invade homes because they are attracted to light. Be careful when trying to get rid of them because they will release an odor for self-defense.

Have small, shield-shaped bugs flown into your house and emitted a gross odor? These insects are called stink bugs because they possess a gland that releases an odor as a means of self-defense. There's nothing like a good dose of “stink” to protect yourself from being eaten by a bird or lizard.

Stink bugs live in meadows, fields, yards, or gardens and especially those with low shrubs. They are most active from spring through fall, but they usually become house invaders at the beginning of fall when temperatures start to drop. They sometimes hibernate on the outside of some south-facing buildings for warmth, but usually over winter in protected areas under dead weeds, stones or in the bark of trees.

Smelly_2.jpg

The stink bug's eggs are yellow, yellow-red, white, or pale green in color and can be found on the underside of leaves in clumps of 20 to 30 eggs. Eggs are only found outdoors on plants because stink bugs cannot reproduce indoors. Thank goodness for small favors. Plants are the primary source of food for stink bugs. They typically feed on fruit plants and nuts. They particularly enjoy honeydew, tomatoes, beans, corn, squash, peppers, cabbage, and any type of fruit, using their beaks to pierce and suck plant juice. This activity can cause major damage to gardens. If you discover stink bugs on your plants you can scoop them up using a pill bottle or other small container. This is time consuming, but the containers help you avoid the smell they emit.

Exclusion is the key to avoiding stink bug invasions. Sealing your house by closing doors and windows will help keep them out of your home. If there are cracks in your siding, windows, doors, utility pipes, behind chimneys, or other openings, good quality silicone or silicone-latex caulk will help stop their entry. Replace ripped window and door screens and install screens on attic vents. Inspect entries to crawl spaces to make sure they are properly sealed.

Here's the part I know you will hate hearing. You just spent a ton of money installing outdoor lighting to make your home look warm and inviting. Or, you added lighting as a security measure. Well, stink bugs are attracted to light. So, now your house is a beacon that shouts “Come to me all ye stink bugs looking for a home.” Stink bugs are drawn to lights coming from your windows, too. I can't ask you to shutter your windows at night, but closing the shades will help. 

stinkbug_eggs.jpg
Stink bug eggs

So, what's a body to do? There are pesticides that will kill stink bugs that have amassed on walls and ceilings. Readily available aerosol-type pyrethrum foggers will knock them down, but the treatment will not prevent more stink bugs from emerging shortly afterwards. The bombs are advertised to show clouds of pesticides magically spreading throughout the room, getting into every nook and cranny, chasing bugs out of hiding. The reality is the fog rises into the air, then settles back down. You would do a lot better simply doing a thorough inspection and using a vacuum to collect the bugs.

Exterior insecticide treatments applied in the fall containing synthetic pyrethroids like deltamethrin, cyfluthrin or lambda-cyhalothrin may provide some relief. If you are uncomfortable applying pesticides or lack the proper equipment you might consider having a licensed pest control operator apply the materials. It's good to know that insecticides break down in sunlight, so the residual effect of the treatment will be short and may not have an effect on the bugs much more than several days or a week. You might try planting some plants that repel stink bugs like marigolds, mint, garlic, radishes and catnip.

Traps baited with the known chemical lure (methy 2,4,6-decatrienoate) are useful for monitoring the spread of the stink bug, but it remains to be seen if a strategy of trap and kill can be devised to protect homes from being inundated in the fall. One problem in experimenting with this type of approach is that the compound is not commercially available, so not enough of the compound is available to do large scale experiments. Researchers have their doubts that in areas where there are large numbers of bugs such as near soybean fields at the end of the growing season, that enough bugs can be caught to significantly decrease the number of bugs seeking shelter in buildings.

If your home becomes infested with stink bugs, be wary before sucking them into the vacuum cleaner. Squashing them or vacuuming them will usually make the smell worse. Wear gloves if you need to handle stink bugs because their unique beaks are fully capable of biting humans. Although their bites are not harmful, you will feel something similar to a sharp pinprick if you are bitten. Not fun!

There are people studying the problem. Several universities are working on solutions which you can read about in another article by clicking here.

Okay! You are armed with just enough information to do battle. Go out and fight a good fight!





Comments

jake from davidsonville MD
03 Dec 2009, 17:54
The quickest way I have found to killing them is a butane stick lighter. Of course this will kill any bug.

It does leave a burnt smell, but it is far less nauseating than their defensive stench.

I tried all summer and fall to rid my house of these damn things, spraying and spraying with different chemicals, but the still managed to find their way into my house.
Joan from Fairfax VA
05 Dec 2009, 00:25
I am sorry about your infestations but misery loves company. "Our" stink bugs were bad in 2008, but this year they are here in horrendous profusion. We capture them, vacuum them, spray them on occasion when they cluster in the fireplace and have consulted two pest control companies--to no avail. We had one meeting in our home last week where we plucked those critters off people wearing light colored shirts. Enough is enough!
Laura
12 Dec 2009, 22:58
Donna, I know what you mean there was a stink bug in a tissue and I rubbed it all over my eye and it stunk and my eye was tearing all day... I was in pain all day! Read my other comment from Nov. 15!!! It was bad!
Theresa from Alexandria
22 Dec 2009, 03:41
I've never seen these guys in my house before...until tonight. I wake up to a crawly feeling on my neck and grab something and throw it. I turn on the lights and can't find anything, my husband thinks I'm losing it and tells me it's probably nothing. So I try to go back to bed and feel another itch on my leg!! I throw the covers off and the damn thing is crawling on my bed!!!! Disgusting!! This is one rude awakening. Really, how is the first one I find crawling in my bed!? Why not on a light or something!? Of course now it's 3:40am and I'm on this site - no chance of sleeping tonight! I'm scared to see if there are more hiding up there. Do you all have any recommendations for pest control services? Has anyone else found one in bed?! I'm so grossed out, I don't even know what to do!!!
Tara
25 Dec 2009, 20:19
We live in the woods in Central PA, and do have stink bugs (not as bad as others). Today I put on a shirt that was hanging in my closet since late summer. I felt something crawl on the inside of my right elbow and grabbed it thinking it was a lady bug (which we too have in abundance). When I took my shirt off the stink bug fell out and my arm smelled disgusting. I washed my arm and put a new shirt on, but my arm stung for about 2 hours after. Not sure if it bit me or if the spray was an irritant, but it was unpleasant.
Kim
26 Dec 2009, 09:33
I had a guy come out and spray the outside of my home, but Im still getting those dam bugs in the house, Im tired of scooping them up. Ive been finding them in my bedroom. Im going to try some of these home tricks and see if something works! I really dont want to pay for another guy to come out to my home, they charge by the size of your house and my house aint small. They are worse then bill collectors!
Melissa
27 Dec 2009, 05:24
I hear you Theresa....right now its 5:20 and I awoke with one on my arm...it was so gross. But everyday we kill about 20 in my house. I killed at least 15 of them today, 7 of which were in my room. They are so gross....and I have tried different ways to get rid of them but they come out of no where. So i've had to resort to flushing them down the toilet. Once I tried to put it down the sink drain but it kept crawling back out. These things are gross and everywhere, even in the bathtub. My sisters are scared of them and my parents are grossed out. The only time I don't see an abundance of them in my room is when I shut off the heat and open the window, but that is not my preference in the winter. I just wish they would disappear....but alas that is only wishful thinking.
rock
27 Dec 2009, 13:27
I too have found the stink bug in my bedrooms. One was on my bed,another on my curtains and crawling up the wall..I need a solution quick..i stated seeing this bugs within the last three months..ANY HELP..I LIVE HERE IN DELAWARE
Robert
27 Dec 2009, 22:16
These things are scary please help they like to hide in bathrooms I can't even go in!!
tcarpenter
27 Dec 2009, 22:26
I am here in Ma and keep getting new ones every day. Was thinking they would die off by the first frost but seem to have gotten in to stay for the winter. Didn't smell them at first but now I am noticing it more and more. Need help going crazy!!!!
tcarpenter
27 Dec 2009, 22:27
Have a log home how do I fill every nook and cranny!!!!!!!!
Tom
27 Dec 2009, 22:36
We have been infested with stink bugs for the last 3 years - each year worse. We killed 20+ a day beginning in the fall until heavy frost. The worst time was October. They seem to be attracted to the skylight and water. I have found them on the side of my water cup, on the inside of the cup and dead in the water in the cup. We just bought a handful of heavy duty fly swatters.
Tom
27 Dec 2009, 22:41
PS the skylight is in the bathroom, and the big plastic water cup 1/2 filled is usually on bathroom counter. these bugs are gross!!!
gary
28 Dec 2009, 09:44
They seemed be have left by Mid Nov, only one or two a day. Then I brought the Christmas decorations from the attic and now they are everywhere. When I put them away I will be sealing them to trash bags. What is the mixture for using Dawn?
Joan from Fairfax
28 Dec 2009, 10:14
Tom--do NOT use your new fly swatters on these critters. When crushed or swatted, they emit a defensive, offensive smell! Just gather them gently in toilet paper and throw them down the toilet--or use papar towel and toss them outside to DIE in the cold.
Amanda from Virginia
30 Dec 2009, 20:14
You cannot believe how disgusted i am by these DISGUSTING bugs. Its the end of december and im STILL finding stink bugs every where. I have layerd valences in my dining room. I went in there looking for these bugs and there were 14 in there. Yesterday two came crawling across the counter at me. I looked under a place mat that i leave on the counter and my hub puts his keys, pocket change etc on a tray that sits on this particular mat. Upon lifting up the mat, 7 were hibernating under there. I literally vomited. This is a rental house that we live in. I have found that they love to hide in fabrics, and in dark areas.

Please let them go away. Im new to virginia and have never seen a stink bug before in my life. We also had millions of lady bugs coming through our doors and windows. the house is outfitted with new doors and windows. Nothing works.......
Amanda from Virginia
30 Dec 2009, 20:18
The most disgusting thing i just read on another site.


a guy said he needs help because he wakes up every morning and has to pick two or three stink bugs out of his beard!!!!!!!

that is the most disgusting thing i ever read. im sure i wil be up all night again with that disturbing image in my head! who in the world has that many stink bugs crawling in their bed day after day and is patient enuf to ask for help or for a beard cover!

Yuck!
Amanda from Virginia
30 Dec 2009, 20:19
Oh and i forgot to say, they ARE stink bugs that i have here in my house, but luckily i have never smelled one.

lady bugs also emit a foul smelling odor when crushed!
Tom
01 Jan 2010, 14:50
I'm wondering why are we just beginning to see them in New Jersey and the NE?
Joan from Fairfax
01 Jan 2010, 15:38
These creatures were first found in Allentown, PA in 2001. Google "Penn State Stink Bugs" and you'll find a number of good articles. Caulking windows/doors seems to be the best treatment but I'll bet as NY and NJ become infested, SOMEONE SOMEWHERE will come up with a solution!
R Hofmann
01 Jan 2010, 18:25
An excellent way to keep stink bugs from getting into the home via from the foundation and siding meet is to spray the base and under bottom of siding in the sring with Enforcer 365. One application last all year and will kill ANY insect that tries to crawl into the space. This incldes earwigs, wasps, spiders.
Stinkbug Hater
02 Jan 2010, 20:13
I have read that the smell that they emit is not just a defensive mechanism but it ALSO attracts other stink bugs, so that when you kill them in your house by squashing them, you are merely helping to attract more of them with the odor/attractant! I am going to invent a trap which will at least help to capture them during the early winter so I can have a break for the rest of the year until next October. By then I hope to have my home defended with pesticides and sealed up better. We started seeing these bugs in LARGE quantities when we cut down a 14-year-old sumac (not like poison sumac) tree that they must have been residing very happily in - ironic since sumac trees are pretty stinky, themselves. Well, every year since then they have been worse and worse. I got stung by one the other night, while sleeping. It woke me up and burned like holy hell. The mark is still on me near my arm pit, 4 days later! I didn't even KNOW they bit/stung!!! I now REALLY hate these b@*#ards.


I HATE STINKBUGS SO BAD!
03 Jan 2010, 20:33
stinkbug hater

arent they freaking disgusting? they are the ONLY insect that i know of that makes my skin crawl. blah, they make me so sick!
Tom
03 Jan 2010, 20:52
Make sure you check your shoes before you put them on.

They like to hide in the toe area.
Luann
04 Jan 2010, 00:00
I wrote to this website back in early November when the stinkers were in full swing. They seem to know that they have to find a warm place to live for the upcoming winter and swarm homes trying to get in any cracks or crevices. My husband spent hours, days at a time vacuuming up thousands of these stinkers and we think that effort helped to keep the population low in our attic (compared to last year). We still find three or four a day throughout the house (mostly on windows). I've seen a few just drop out of the light fixtures in the ceiling (I hope I don't sleep with my mouth open!) I just read in the newspaper that a "come hither" trap should be available soon (the same type used for Japanese Beetles). I pray this comes before next spring!!
Luann
04 Jan 2010, 00:35
Dear Amanda from Virginia...You say that you have never smelled a crushed stick bug. PLEASE, PLEASE DO NOT STEP ON OR CRUSH THESE HORRIBlE BUGS! The odor from one bug is so over-bearing it can make you sick. The odor can also attract other bugs. I usually grab a tissue, pick up the stupid bug(they don't even try to fly away)and flush. I also pick up several at a time with a paper towel, wad it up and wet it with warm water and toss it in the garbage. (Please don't flush paper towels). Hope this helps.
Ask the Exterminator
04 Jan 2010, 09:37
In response to R Hofmann's endorsement of the pesticide Enforcer 365 I want to remind you that this product is highly toxic to fish so you cannot allow this product to reach any drain. The active ingredient, Deltamethrin, is also a neurotoxin which attacks the nervous system. Skin contact can lead to tingling or reddening of the skin. If taken in through the eyes or mouth you may experience many different abnormal sensations including burning, partial numbness, "pins and needles", skin crawling, etc.

There are no antidotes, and treatment must be symptomatic, as approved by a physician.
Penny
05 Jan 2010, 21:03
We have been infested with lady bugs and stink bugs for years. We are in Western MD. We capture them with empty water bottles. Just slide them in and put the cap on, no stink! They will eventually die. My husband has filled up multiple bottles. We just throw the bottles in the trash. It doesn't keep more of them from coming in, but it is a relatively easy way to get them out without stinking up the house.
Joe
06 Jan 2010, 17:11
I was ready to do battle with stink bugs in the spring, but they invaded my house when the temp dropped to the teens.
Last night, while I was asleep, one landed on my lip. Not knowing what it was I swatted it. UGH! You think sting bugs smell bad???
After scrubbing and brushing with everything I could think of and taking a steaming hot shower to get the stench out of my pores, the stench is finally becoming bearable.
Now I really mad. This is war!
Marie in Northern Virginia
07 Jan 2010, 23:46
We have dozens of these stinky bugs (two varieties) which we find every day up and downstairs. They are driving us crazy. Can anyone tell me if they dissipate at some point during the winter (like ladybugs)? They seem to be going strong even though it's 25 degrees outside. What's their lifespan? Ugh!!
keisha
08 Jan 2010, 18:33
I have stink bugs in my bedroom in my apartment. I have bought silicone caulk to caulk my windows ,but im unsure where there are cracks. i then bought weather stripping for my windows which seemed to have worked for a few days ,but now I am seeing them again. Can anyone give me some good advice on how to get rid of the?
Brooke NorthEast PA
08 Jan 2010, 18:44
Theresa,

I'm with ya babe. I found two or three of these gross little stinkers when I was changing the sheets on my bed. They were up in the pillows. Ewwww...how gross. I can't escape the feeling now that I'm going to wake up with them crawling in my hair or something. You're not the only one with the bed problem though. I have resorted to checking all of my pillows every night before I go to bed and pulling down the blankets to check there too. Its a nightmer.
Kim, Northeast NJ
09 Jan 2010, 00:14
Ok, I am thoroughly grossed out by all of these posts and feel like my skin is crawling. I helped my mother change her curtains the other day in her bedroom. We took down the valances only to find about 25 stink bugs in EACH!! I was just about screaming after plucking them all off with toilet paper and flushing them down the toilet. Soooooooooo damn gross!!! We keep finding them everywhere too. Today, my mother ended up with one in her hand by using the liquid soap dispenser in her bathroom. Tomorrow I need to take down my daughters' curtains to battle the bugs. I know they stink to high heaven, but I'm using the shop vac! I am not touching them ever again after reading that they can actually bite. I would die. Oh, I just hate them..........
craig,york pa
09 Jan 2010, 12:44
we are having a lot of problems too.These guys drown very easily take a cup with a drop or two of liquid soap in it.Put the cup near the bug and most jump right in if there on the wall or ceiling.They die in seconds then just toss the water out or flush.Finding about 5 to 10 a day here now..
kelly in cleveland
09 Jan 2010, 13:58
Its the middle of winter here on the Great Lake Erie. Its negative degrees outside and I have lots of stink bugs. They seem to never go away. You know its bad when the dog spits them out.
tired of the buggers!
09 Jan 2010, 15:00
We have been having an issue with stink bugs getting into the house for a few years now. We have replaced all of our dorrs and wondows and all are well sealed. Our exterminator has told us to pick them up in some tissue and flush them. We have never smelled an odor from them when we do this. However, I have been smelling a strange smell in our home lately. At first someone suggested it might be a gas leak or sewer gas odor coming from a dried up drain trap. We have had the gas company and plumber here to no avail. I am beginning to wonder if it could be from the stink bugs. I know everyone says they smell awful, but can someone describe the odor? I am at my wits end with this smell and can't figure out what it could be! Has anyone else had a problem with an odor lingering in the house? Thanks!
thomas van winkle
09 Jan 2010, 16:30
We have an infestation of stink bugs in our house, everywhere we look, in the skylites, surrounding the lights, annd we have also a odor in our house which I am thinking is from the stink bugs. Sounds like there is nothing to get rid of them except sealinng up your home, which is practically imposible to do. I wonder how they stay alive, we do not have any inside plants for them to feed on. It is a horrible feeling and seems like there should be somme way to get rid of this situation.
kevin
12 Jan 2010, 17:14
yes, ANSWERS to the following by the experienced/experts would be most useful:
1) what are the best ways to kill them once they move in?
2) do they all winter-over; is this because of the warm indoors?
3) how do they feed during the winter months indoors
4) once they come do they repeat annually?

they arrived for the first time here in Clarke Cty VA/Shenandoah Valley this past fall. it's now January and they remain in the house. they seem to like the TV at night and other light. could this be a way to trap them?

i will be inquiring with my exterminator. who comes monthly but somehow i don't think they will have the know-how, given the bugs relative newness to my area.

bother.
etc
13 Jan 2010, 20:47
Never saw them in Virginia but in Maryland have a bad infestation.

The fireplace is really hot in the middle of the winter and they have all awakened, thinking its summer and I find them everywhere, even dropping from the ceiling on my head. Disgusting to say the least. No matter how many I remove, it's an endless stream of them.

I cannot think of what to seal in the house.
Rebecca from Virginia
14 Jan 2010, 11:43
We vacuum these suckers up every day. Seems they compete with the lady bugs for entrance. Last night I fed three of them to my turtle and she loved them! Hmmm...maybe this is one solution - everyone get a turtle! Nothing else seems to work and we are a newly constructed home that seems pretty tight (obviously not tight enough).
keisha
14 Jan 2010, 14:58
The best thing to do about the odor is to light up incense. That rids the smell. A co - worker of mine has problems with stink bugs too. She told me to purchase the spray to kill lice because it has 50% of the ingredient pytherin(oops might have spelled it wrong) that is used in insecticides to kill them. I bought the spray. It does work, but it takes a few minutes to take effect. You can buy the stuff from a drug store.
Tim in Northern VA
15 Jan 2010, 14:10
I have them living in my attic each winter and they come down thru the air ducts. There are probably holes in the duct taping in the attic that allows them to enter. They are a huge nuisance. If they are attracted to light, what about the traditional bug zapper products for attracting and killing them? I'd even try to hang one in my attic if it would work. Thoughts?
Linda - Delaware
15 Jan 2010, 19:19
Have had these yucky bugs for two years. Working at kitchen table at night, they dive bomb, land on the chandelier, table, TV and me. Find lots of dead ones on floor, windowsills, beside sliding doors. Have killed with:

* Wasp Spray- Only outside!!

* Lysol spray to knock off where they cannot be reached, give a good spray to immobilize after they fall. Kills with no stinky.

* Hand sanitizer. It's goopy and hard for them to crawl out. Alochol and suffocation kills.

* Crazy glue or similar--a drop or two immobilizes, but be careful to keep it on bug.

* Tape-Found one on carpet which was hard to pick up with tissue, so taped him down with a couple pieces. Dead shortly thereafter and easy to pick up.

Did not see one for a couple of weeks after Christmas but now they are back. Kill about 6/day.

This fall, asked my Terminix guy if his spray in trees and bushes would work. He told me not to waste money because dead would be quickly replaced by others. Went to big mansion close by. Called manager to come see-thousands covered three stories all the way around outside. Sprayed to kill, but could not guarantee new bugs.

2008 was first time I had seen one for many, many years. If odor keeps prey at bay-why are they here?
Judy
16 Jan 2010, 22:10
Oh my... I have been surrounded by aggressive stink bugs. We dispose of at least 20 a day walking around stinking up the place. But it gets worse, I seriously am attacked daily by stink bugs. They seem to be attracted to me. Just yesterday I had two on my ceiling, looking like they were about to mate that suddenly took a nose dive right down on my head then down my back. Just five mins ago, one came hauling at me and slammed into my face. They dont bother anyone else, they just come to me. I have changed my perfumes, shower gels, everything i could with the exception of my dark hair, but they keep going strong. For crying out loud we just had an Artic blast and they are still going strong. These are worse then the sprickets (also known as camel crickets) when I lived in baltimore, that there is another agressive bug. Maybe they feel my fear? Hum... Anyway, just needed to vent... Thanks for hearing me out. Judy
Gladys
16 Jan 2010, 23:09
Our house is pre-civil war stone house with ALOT of places for the stinck bugs to hide. We also heat with wood, so they are very active all winter long. Every night before I go to bed I collect them off the walls,bed and anywhere I see them. When sitting at the kitchen table, they "dive bomb" and land on your head and arms. I have vaccuumed many of them up, but we have a severe infestation of them. It is never ending. When sleeping at night I have found that having a fan on beside me anlged toward the seiling helps keep them off me. But it is not unusual to have crawl on me at night. I HATE them. I loose alot of sleep because of them.
One theing that works for me is I take empty water bottles or soda bottles and put about 2 inches of water in it. If they are on the ceiling I just put the bottle over them and they fall in, if on the wall, I slide the bottle opening under them and they fall in. If on a flat serface, I use the lid to scoot them into the bottle. Once I gather the ones I see, I close the lid and they drown. I find I can use the same bottle a couple of days before they stench gets too bad, then I throw that bottle away and start over with a new on. I have killed thousands of them this way. I hope this might help someone. I also hope someone can find a better way to kill them. Living in such an old house it is alomost impossible to caulk all of the holes!
Phil of MD
17 Jan 2010, 15:00
I cannot take this. A Huge cluster of bugs, I tried to sweep out of the attic hatchet, & ALL OF THEM STARTED STINKING!!!! I thought I was dead... PLEASE HELP!!!
Susan
21 Jan 2010, 12:45
I live in NJ and this is the first time I have ever seen them. My father replaced all the windows with thermopane ones about 3 years ago. My daughter and I recently moved back with him and this summer we put an air conditioner in her window and end of August we tore down trees, shrubs and vines from the back yard and noticed them in her room..now its Jan and we are still seeing them mostly around her lap top and bed and they land on her in the middle of the night maybe 3 or 4 a day...but still gross and anoying! but they are limited to her room only(for now) and i'm sorry but they do not flush, unless they are dead if you flush them alive and they go down..few days later they are there again. how do i find were they are hidding?? thaks
Jeanette
22 Jan 2010, 07:46
I just woke up to a stink bug crawling on my lip up into my mouth. Of course I didnt know and swatted then finally woke up screaming after I realized what the heck it was. GROSSSS! I'm not one to be really grossed out by bugs or even hate them...but I hate these stinkers! I find them in my clothes, in the curtains. The dogs chase them when they buzz around. I didn't know they bite but now I swear that I have been bit by one. Ughhh I wish there was a simple solution. Oh yeah....I moved back up to PA a year ago and it is the first time I ever seen them.
Rita Ribs
23 Jan 2010, 10:54
These bugs started coming in last Fall. Found them in my laundry room off the deck. At first I would just open the french doors and flick them off whatever clean clothing they had attached themselves to. But after a while, I now had them showing up in my master bathroom. Both are facing southwest. I keep the laundry room cooler than my bathroom, and I have noticed they only OCCASIONALLY show up in the laundry room and my master bath has about 20 a day showing up, especially when the heat is on. They are DISGUSTING, and occasionally make it into my bedroom where I lay awake until I can find them all. They seem to like dark things and I have found them in bunches on my dark rattan baskets, dark clothing and crawling up the walls. I now scoot them into a dust pan with a small dust whisk and then drop them into the toilet. I used to toss them into the trash can, until I saw them crawling back out. DIRTY BUGGERS! Everything I have been reading says they are just going to keep getting worse. My house is a 1930 triple brick bungalow with a large unheated basement and lots of cracks and crevices that I will NEVER be able to fill up. But as I have been renovating, I am taking extra care to seal up any and all holes, cracks and areas of penetration. Its helped in the laundry room it seems, but the bathroom has made up for that. I hate them, I HATE THEM! The other day, one had crawled into a sleeve of a jacket I had and it was the FIRST one that I ever had that STUNK. Ewwwwwwwwwwww......I removed it, knowing that I had gotten one, but it took five minutes to shake it off the jacket. It was dead and I guess I had squished it when I got in the van and sat back on it. Ewwwwww.....GROSS! I am trying to find the pesticides that a few people and sites have suggested so I can get rid of these buggers and let them know ME CASA IS NOT THEIR CASA! They like coming into my room from the bathroom and getting in my light fixtures, have even found a few on my bed. YUK! THEY HAVE to GO! I heard they hitched a ride from Asia on a crate (mine are the brown/gray ones!). For crying out loud, none of my neighbors know what I am talking about. Am I the only one hanging out a welcome stink bugs sign? My house is not dirty! HELP!
Haze
25 Jan 2010, 16:48
I dont know about the rest of you...but reading all your frustrating tales of your stink bug battles really makes me feel my family is not alone!! I have many stories as bad if not worse but after a while we can get pretty grossed out reading these....easiest stories I can contribute...they actually like to hide in dvd covers....was alphabetizing our movies and checking which had never been replaced in their covers and found many all lined up for movie popcorn!! Was eating a piece of raisin bread and suddenly realized my tongue had touched something quite acidic...yup, a stink bug was sitting on the bread ...glad I sensed it before it was too late! Cant use any pesticides since we have several pets,.,but we are experimenting with specific link rollers to remove them from objects...and buying several fly sticky traps to hang from the windows in hopes that they will adhere....all in all, wish someone could find a predator to eat the little boogers!
Rey
26 Jan 2010, 01:59
It is now 1:50 am. I woke up half an hour ago with one of them in my mouth. I was wearing a 'night guard' to keep from grinding my teeth while I sleep and I apparently bit down on it. What woke me up was a burning sensation and the the 'night guard' smells of the odor let off when the bugs are crushed. I have rinsed my mouth out with mouth wash but there is still a lingering taste and burning sensation. I wonder how long this is going to last.
Luann
26 Jan 2010, 03:30
I have written in several times over the last few months offering some comments and advice about how we handle the rotten Stink Bugs here in North Western NJ. Wellllll, here it is 3:00am and I am totally stressed out and upset about what happened to me earler. I was in bed sleeping, unexpectedly woke up thinking that I smelled a stinker. I sat up and put on the lamp at the side of my bed. OMG!!! There was a half dead stinker on my pillow where my head had been. YIKES!!! I grabbed it with a tissue and ran into the bathroom to flush it. While I was in the bathroom, I got into the shower with lots of warm soapy water to scrub my face, hair and scalp. I was a wreck. How could I be sleeping on a stink bug on my pillow. When I picked it up it looked somewhat smooshed and had a mild odor. I almost got sick to my stomach. Even though I took a thorough shower, I still felt like they were crawling through my hair and down my neck. I got dressed and stumbled to my office down the hall and had to write to all of you. Please check your bedding, especially your pillows and the inside cases - I have found them there too (last fall). I also just realized that I have recessed lighting in a cathedral ceiling. My guess is that they are in the attic and are coming out the lighting fixtures which are over my bed. I'd move my bed to the other side of the room but that's where the south-facing windows are (where many stinkers got into my house). I will call someone tomorrow to come and cover up or remove these fixtures so that these little beasts can't come flying out whenever they damn well please. I am really afraid to go back to that room and sleep. I think the couch will do just fine until those fixtures are covered. It's one thing when it's the family room, living room or even the kitchen but definitely NOT THE BEDROOMS! I want to be awake when they make an entrance. Well, it's almost 3:30am and I should try to get some sleep(on the family room couch of course!). Thank you for letting me vent after my somewhat shocking wake-up surprise. I wish you all sweet, non-stinker dreams.

Luann
Heather from Chester County, PA
27 Jan 2010, 10:17
I feel like crying out of RELIEF knowing that I am not the only one out there losing my mind over stink bugs AND over all of the scary stink bug stories on this site. We are having the worst stink bug infestation I've EVER seen. We live in Chester County, PA, and this fall our house became INFESTED with stink bugs. I came home one October afternoon and the entire side of my house was COVERED with stink bugs. I even posted pictures of it on my facebook it was that insanely disgusting. We prayed that they'd die off over the winter, but to no avail - I find a minimum of five in my house every single day. They have been most plentiful in my infant daughter's room and my step daughter's room as well. I've found them in bedding (the bumper around my daughter's crib; the dust ruffle on her crib; the sheets), loaded inside the curtains, inside dresser drawers (inside the clothes), inside of shoes, in closets, on the couch, on the walls - I HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE THEM. My life is a living hell every day because I feel like I have to check EVERYTHING before I put it on, sit on it, lay in it, sleep in it - I've even found them in my shower. The only place I've found safety is in my finished basement - they haven't seemed to make it down there (yet). I can't even deal with them. There was one on my bathroom floor this morning! There was one on my bathroom spigot yesterday morning that I didn't even see when I was going to rinse my mouth! Yuck! I hate stink bugs! I hate them! I hate them! I hate them!
Heather from Chester County, PA
27 Jan 2010, 10:45
P.S. I catch them in tissues and flush them down the toilet, too. Definitely DO NOT vaccuum them up in your house vaccuum because it will forever smell like musky stink bug. My husband actually picks them up with his bare fingers (ewwwwwww!!!). My dogs have eaten them and they puke them up whole (along with any undigested food that's in their gut). My chickens love to eat them but then (of course) I'm afraid to eat their eggs because I'm like, "Are the eggs going to stink? Or, are they going to have a weird taste?" So, I stopped feeding them to my chickens. One night I woke up with the "bzzzzzzz" sound in my ear (the sound of their wings) and I swatted at my ear and hair and jumped out of bed and, sure enough, THERE WAS A STINK BUG ON MY BED!
Heather from Chester County, PA
27 Jan 2010, 10:51
And, p.s. Judy - I read your post about the stink bugs not bothering anyone but you - SAME HERE! My husband calls them my "spirit bug." LOL.
kathleen
28 Jan 2010, 08:22
They are so ugly and nasty, I read the posts and thought it was only happening to me. Thank God others understand. I need these bugs gone before they drive me nuts.
Codey
28 Jan 2010, 15:35
You can report sightings of stink bugs to Rutgers University:

https://njaes.rutgers.edu/stinkbug/report.asp

You can also e-mail them questions. I had a couple and they got back to me pretty quickly.
Bayley
01 Feb 2010, 10:22
We've been getting a few of these a day, fortunately we find a lot of them dead. Not as bad as the infestations some others are describing, but it's definitely worse than last winter and we're seeing more every day. We were planning to get new windows, but now are considering spending that money on vinyl siding instead, so they're not as inclined to live on/in the siding.

Last night was the last straw. My husband swallowed one of these bugs in his sleep. He knows because it made him so sick to his stomach that he vomited it back up. Luckily he's not grossed out by bugs - I would have been too traumatized to come to work today!

We have *got* to get these things under control before they just fully take over our house. I thought the ladybugs were bad but the stink bugs are getting ridiculous.
Robert
02 Feb 2010, 09:47
Live in Hamilton nj.great apartment. First timer when a swarm was seen at gable end of roof. Have them in our apt.can't I get something To throw in the attic,then what do i do about the drop ceiling.Treat as a seperate void?
francis k zettlemoyer
02 Feb 2010, 17:49
The only way to combat these bugs is by direct physical action. Did you notice that they look somewhat like a stealth bomber? Oh well. Take about 4 sheets of toilet tissue fold them into a pad,then sneak up on them and grab them within the pad. DON"T SQUEEZE!! Just fold the bug gently into the pad and flush it down the toilet. It's the only way to deal with these pests. Let the Tidy-Bowl man exterminate them!!
BJMofm86@aol.com
03 Feb 2010, 10:19
Thank you for having posted others with this bug problem!!!
karen
03 Feb 2010, 10:40
I'm in York, PA and my 50's brick house is invested. I have lots of windows that are relatively uncurtained so I'm not surprised to read that that is attractive to them. I just want to say one thing. Flushing one stink bug down a toilet using 1.6 + gallons of water is very environmentally irresponcible. Far better to keep a small jar of something like lamp oil or kerosene and just keep adding them to it till you can't stand to look at it and then find a responcible dispossal method. That's what I do with Japonese beetles.
Linda
03 Feb 2010, 12:30
I am so relieved to know that others are having a problem with those annoying bugs. I was beginning to feel like I must be the worst housekeeper in the world. I recently visited relatives in Delaware, and found two in my bedroom. I was horrified, thought they must have been hidden in my suitcase, but I feel better now, knowing that probably wasn't so,that the pests are in that state too. How is it possible that we can put a man on the moon, but can't eradicate stink bugs in our houses??
tina
03 Feb 2010, 21:09
I hate bugs but these bugs are everywhere somebody please try to find something to kill them
Donna
08 Feb 2010, 21:45
I live in South Central PA and we are also infested. Last fall they invaded our RV. There had to be over a hundred in there. This past fall, 2009, was not that bad in the camper but they are in the house. They fly to my desk light when I am at my computer. What I do is try to pick them up real fast before they get scared and spray their stink, then I roll up the tissue and tape it all shut with packing tape and throw it away. I bought packing tape just to help get rid of stink bugs! These things are totally disgusting. I'd love to find a way to make a trap for them.
Carl
08 Feb 2010, 22:19
ok, i have actualy found a way to slow
down the stink bug invasion,. i live in
pittsburgh,PA. on a 6 acre private land
with no neighbors full of woods with many insects but mainly the survivor insect the stink bug. their feremone is the key you must remove any live plants
that you may have inside your home of
which they can feed & reproduce their larva and replace them with either mint/
and or garlic plants next if you have a
fire place thats not in use you may need
to have it cleaned and possibly exterminated if not in use. last but not least any cracks or areas of where you see them place a small lamp with a low efficient new age lite bulb and place 1 to 2 moth balls around the lamp
they will drop like flies. never use ayour vacume cleaner on theese insects
their feremone is so strong it will continue to call more reinforcements, just sweep them up and discard them outside.
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