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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

Liz
03 Oct 2009, 16:34
I've just used some Clorox Green Works Natural Glass & Surface Cleaner to kill some that were hanging on my screens. Apparently the natural citrus-based cleaners in this product are effective, especially when sprayed on the undersides of the stink bug's body. Seems to work very well.
mjm
03 Oct 2009, 17:05
I killed 4 just while reading this. Using an upside down can of 'dust off' canned air. They keep landing on my window screen at my computer desk. While it is entertaining to freeze them in this way, I'm sure it's not economical. If I spray gently at first they sometimes get hooked on the screen instead of flying away. Then they're MINE. More spray and they are frozen as if dunked in liquid nitrogen. When I stop spraying the trail of frozen vapor is pretty satisfying. Unfortunately, they seem to get a small amount of stink out. Best to snap the back side of the screen with my finger and send the little frozen corpse down into the grass.
Miserable, annoying, and need to be eradicated. Too bad some genetic engineer can't alter them so they smell nice.
Fort Washington, MD
03 Oct 2009, 17:18
We're in Ft. Washington, MD, and our outside walls are inundated. Someone should do a Hitchcock-Clover-Field like movie of these critters. Thanks for all the helpful advice -- we'll try the liquid soap thing and maybe the Fabreeze method. And the bug zapper gizmo, too. Anyone know if power-spraying the outside with Fabreeze would work or would it be too diluted? I'm concerned the liquid soap method would be too messy.
Bug Hell
03 Oct 2009, 21:59
WOW! Last month I moved into an apartment in a little old farm house style home near Middleburg, VA. And, wouldn't ya know it, not two days after my pets and I got here, the invasion began... thousands of them sun themselves on my door in the afternoon sun. UNBELIEVABLE. Seriously horrible. Even my dog and two cats are over it (and bless their little hearts, I can't use bug spray!) I bought a small shop vac to do daily (sometimes hourly) damage control. I stopped counting after dumping several hundred out into the woods from the shop vac after using it INSIDE the apt. I don't get any fresh air now 'cuz all the windows are now duct taped. I think the smell is worse when it's warmed over. The smell stays w/ me all day. Everything smells bad. Everything I eat and drink smells like these little a*%holes. Even the water from the well smells bad now. I pray these creatures aren't poisonous!
Doug
03 Oct 2009, 22:24
My wife uses Green Works glass and surface spray on these horrible bugs. A few sprays directly on the bugs kill them within seconds. When the bugs are inside I kill them with anything near by. Be careful if you have window units for air conditioning, they get in the cracks at the window and then try to live in the vent cover. We had at least 30 bugs in the vent cover of our air conditioner that my wife gathered up in a plastic bag. She used panty liners to seal the cracks around the air conditioner once the bugs were removed!!! It worked, no more stink bugs.
Kim in Central NJ
04 Oct 2009, 07:28
House was covered with thousands of these little stinky critters, they flew from one side of the house to the other as if to follow the sun. don't know how to get rid of them. They showed up last year by the hundreds after the farmer harvested his corn crop. Will try the soapy thingy. Stay tuned!!!!!!!!!
luvyduvy
04 Oct 2009, 08:47
I live in southern VA, have 10 times as many of these horrible, persistant pests than I've ever seen before! I didn't know what they were & have been STOMPING them dead! I store clothing & my rag mop on my outside deck. BOY do they love attaching themselves to clothing & into the fibers of my mop! I even found 10 INSIDE the aluminum mop handle! ANYBODY know if they chew clothing? I found a coupla tiny holes in a dress & wondered if they did it? Anyway, BIG HUGE THANKS to all who suggested dish detergent--a cheap way to deal w/ them. I'm going to try it today.
Janet in Jersey
04 Oct 2009, 13:54
I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!!!
Their here and NOW they DIVE BOMB me! I have been capturing them in the dustbuster and covering the vac hole with a cheese cloth lemon squeezer cover- you know, looks like a shower cap? Then zapping them with a hit of floral scented bug spray. FINE if you can spend ALL day gathering...My house is infested both inside & out. I can not figure out HOW they get it, but the mysteriously appear lurking inside the warm sunny glass windows. I think this is a pandemic. SHOULDN'T OUR LOCAL EPA GUYS BE WRANGLING THESE PESKS? C'mon. They can not be doing anything positive to our eco system...sorry...but the just don;t seem to have a purpose other thna p'ing me off.
Luvyduvy in Virginia
04 Oct 2009, 15:04
Poor Janet! I feel for ya! Arm yourself w/ bottle of the dish spray at least!! I tried it & it works, but it does take a couple of sprays per bug--it seems almost as good as the can of RAID I;ve been using on them. I used about 1 -1.5 Tablespoons of Palmolive lavender dish detergent w/ about 4-6 ounces of water in my spray. Gotta go face the spiders in my basement now.
Susan Wood
04 Oct 2009, 15:36
Oh my gosh, I HATE these damn things, they are a scourge from Satan himself.
We started with them three years ago, and this is the worst year yet. No matter how sealed the windows are, there they are. dozens and dozens in a day. So the other day I go to dry my hair, and this HORRIFIC stench fills the air...My husband and I look at the hair dryer and it was ALIVE inside with dozens of them frying in heat. I am so massively skeeved!!! We have terminex, and the guy actually told me it was a box beetle and that they dont come inside. What an idiot. These brown marmorated stink bugs are invading the country, cant ANYONE do SOMETHING about it???????
LLoyd
04 Oct 2009, 15:43
I am using Raid Wasp & Hornet Spray for exterior application. 1-2 minutes after they are hit they are dead.
Jim
04 Oct 2009, 19:00
They are annoying. Just removed my AC window unit and noticed whole bunch of them.. got my vacuum and had them all sucked... they are annoying and ugly little fellas.
Terri Wills
04 Oct 2009, 19:02
I tried all of these things today and I hope they help. I am dealing with hundreds of these things and I can not seal-off the entire house, garage and shed.

I noticed that these evil little things hate cold and hate water. I am not sure about garlic and marigolds, but I tried that it too. I tried almost everything that was suggested on this page and other websites.

* I sprayed all the shubs with bug spray using the hose and the plastic attachment and then sprayed it with a consentrated spray- hoping to kill the eggs. If you see them on your shubs... there is a good chance they are eating your shrubs or laying eggs.

*Sprinkled the lawn with bug powder/pellets (especially around the edges the house,) so when they fall off of the house they may have a nice poisoned place to die. If not they lay there and it takes them a day or two to die. If you are infested as badly as we we are-- look closely in the grass around your house and treat it with poison. You might think they are dead, but no they will still move!

I used the hose full blast and knocked them off of the upper windows, rain spouts, edging etc.. as far as the water could could reach. When they fell (landed) on the deck, I sprayed them with my very large container of bug spray and swept them into the grass.

The cold water seems to slow them down and they are less likely to fly away. They are also (less) likely to land in a wet area. Yes, I know as soon as it starts to dry- they come back.

I noticed that when I squirted my deck, more of them crawled up through the cracks. They are finding shelter under the deck, not just inside the attic, shed, or garage.

I set off bombs in the attic, garage and my shed, even though it is not recommended. I had to because they are attacking people; one tried to steal my car!
I realized that they spray their odor anyway; when I spray them with bug spray, they release the odor so, at this point I have nothing to lose... BomB them I say! When five of them jump you as you walk out the door, what else can you do. We have bug spray at each doorway.


Flying insect spray kills them when directly sprayed on them, i.e. "hotshot, raid, wasp/hornet killer. It does not stay around long enough to kill the ones flying in from across the field.

I have been fighting them for weeks now and I have had it. I used a large container of garlic and sprinkled it in the grass, shrubs, decks and even around the door frames. I spread fresh marigold seeds, which I was saving for next year's garden around the doors and front porch. I am trying everything possible.

The outside of my house smells like an Italian salad!

Good Luck to us ALL! If I come up with anything else I will post it.
RN Mike in Clarksboro, NJ
04 Oct 2009, 19:12
left a long detailed description of how many little bastards i killed through the day...hit a wrong button and lost it all....Long story made short...

Use on litre spray bottle
Fill with 400 ml Blue colored Dawn dishwashing liquid, "concentrated"
Add 200 ml Bleach
Add 100 ml Cooking oil(used as surfactant....makes it stick!
Fill to top with about 300 ml of hot water, shake well. will turn milky in color....
IT WORKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MUST HIT THE BUG IS WORST PART AND WE STILL HAVE A FEW MAKING THEIR WAY IN OUR HOUSE, BUT THIS STUFF WORKS 100%....i watch even when igot a small spritz on a stinkbug and it died!!!!!
terri wills
04 Oct 2009, 19:20
Thanks RN Mike,

I will try this tomorrow! I am almost willing to settle for a handful of magic beans!
rn mike
04 Oct 2009, 20:55
I am much happier today. I must have walked around the house 20 times killing the stinkbugs, i even watched for 10 minutes after i got a pinhead size spritz on one of them and it died within 5 feet of its fall, even looked back after the next turn around the house and it is still there. Loved it when a few were looking at me from over the top of the roof and I was able reach them with a 98 cent sprayer...thinking of hooking up to hose sprayer and do the whole house.
did notice that they swarm mid SUNNY afternoon when it is NOT windy. Does not matter what side of home, North, east south west....all with some bugs...Also will put some cooking oil in the whole house spray to try to keep it active for a few hours/days....will send the recipe if effective...keep your sanity, it is almost winter.
Terri Wills
05 Oct 2009, 07:55
Vacuuming? Well, I used an old shop vac OUTSIDE, and sucked up about 700 of them at least-- then sprayed poison in the hose and sealed it with an old towel. I always leave the shop- vac outside. The next day I returned to do battle and when I turned the vacuum on.... whoa, it smelled so bad, worse! So the vaccum is a great idea to rid the bodies, but do not bring it inside. WARNING: Do not use the vacuum that you plan on cleaning your house with. It leaves a horrible odor, and by just changing the bag or cleaning the container will not eliminate the odor that has now infested the inner parts of the vacuume. In short-only use a vac that you plan on getting rid of at athe end of this battle. I am taking this shop vac to the dump at the end of this battle. There is an end right?????

drh
05 Oct 2009, 12:52
Stink Bugs were all over the north side of my home this week end. I ended up using a zip lock gallon bad and if you sneek up underneath them they simply fall into the bag and you quick zip it up and shack them down and continue on. I think when they try to fly, they have to let go and fall a few inches before they take flight. Got several hundread of them that wont be in my house this winter and simply zipped them up and threw them into the trash burner (we were buring card board boxes at the time) but if you put them out in the trash....they are lock in the baggie. An yes, the bag will stick to high heaven.
mandy
05 Oct 2009, 14:35
i have these nasty things in at work they are everywhere. have tried everything. sprays, powders, vacuum they just keep coming back. i have had it.
nsw
05 Oct 2009, 16:28
i used raid roach killer and killed about 27 at one time. they were all on my back door when i sprayed them and the perimeter. they all fell and moved around a little. i left the room and when i came back they were all on the floor dead. seemed to work alrihgt. vacuuming them makes them stink tho. even when they're dead.
nsw
05 Oct 2009, 16:31
i also havn't seen as many since i sprayed. i only see three right now which is a BIG improvement.
Haley, Hamburg Pa
05 Oct 2009, 19:04
Oh my god, I'm 19 and in college and I went to shut my drapes today and there was no lie 20 stink bugs on my curtian! As I freaked out and searched the rest of my room I ended up finding up to FOURTY stink bugs in my room!!!!!!!! I can't tell you how gross this was. I took out the airconditioner, knowing that was helping them in, but I came back this same evening and have killed four in my room already with windows shut and sealed. How is this happeneing?! Is there anything I can spray on the outside window panes to keep them away?!?! They are so gross! I can't believe what a problem this infestation truly is!
Amanda
05 Oct 2009, 23:30
Haley--Are you in a dorm or apartment? Can you get the landlord/dorm maintenance to take care of the problem?? You shouldn't have to deal with this yourself.
Luvyduvy in Virginia
06 Oct 2009, 14:31
reviewing several comments here it seems that tho pesky & gross, they are easy to kill. So far, any dish detergent-water mix & any household cleaner seems to kill them w/in a few seconds/minutes. Even something as simple as vinegar & water sprayed on them would probably work.

However, like Janet said, the EPA or farm extension agents, or whomEVER should have some way to deal w/ them before they INVADE our urban, non-farming homes! (this after seeing 2 on my car windshield this morning--I think, like Terri, they were about to steal my car!)
Lee
06 Oct 2009, 17:47
OK.......
I had commented about how I can`t smell these damn critters and I can`t.
Now I have a "NEW" kind of bug that showed up at my house.
Spent awhile looking on the computer to identify this new pest and couldn`t find a match.
Killed a few of these things and instantly smelled what some of you on here say smells EXACTLY like Sour Apples. So I determined that this is another form of a Stink Bug, as it does resemble the other kind of critter that I had known as a Stink Bug. This newer bug is longer than the other one and has two rear legs that resemble a grasshopper. These are the Bugs that INSTANTLY smell when squished!
I was wondering if anyone has BOTH kinds of these pests as me or am I the only one to be infested like this?!
Oh, by the way, I am trying ALL of the suggested remedies to fight off these @#$%^&* things but they keep coming back!!
H E L P !!!!
ryan
06 Oct 2009, 19:48
i live in maryland and have never seen them in my old home for the past 13 years i have lived there. now i move into this home and have not seen them until my first fall in the home. They seem to appear everywhere i look! I will find maybe 5 or less a day and i hope to god it doesnt get any worse. or else i will have to open up a halocaust on them
Karen PA
07 Oct 2009, 16:23
Lee - I have them both. 2 Years ago was the first time I saw my first stink bug (in my bedroom, of course). This is the first year for the "new breed". I haven't swished the new ones so can't say if they smell.

We held a major "stink bug hunt" on Saturday. My husband and I collectd and flushed about 100 of them in our bedroom (hiding in our drapes and shades). Since then our windows are shut tight. Also my husband wasn't as gentle in his collection and many sprayed. Believing that the stench brings more... I got out my strongest (good) smelling candle and burned it for the rest of the day. Since then (4 days and counting) I've only found 2 more (now flushed). So, my answer is do a THOROUGH hunt, close your windows and I do beleive the candle helped by at least not notifiying the others! Boy I hate these things.
Will
07 Oct 2009, 16:24
I live in southern new jersey and have been invaded by these awful things, but I have found that spraying them with Yellow Windex does the trick. Spray them with Raid and they laugh and walk away, but the Yellow Windex kills them with in 30 seconds, I have a mound of dead bugs on my deck from the Windex, only the Yellow works but its amazing how fast they die, and it's a lot safer than the Raid or other chemical insectisides. Good Luck.
Roger G
07 Oct 2009, 17:39
The only thing I have found that is effective in killing the stink bugs where they hide is Raid Fumigators. They contain 12.6% Permethrin. Vacuum all the visible ones up with a shop vac then spray a lot of Oust air sanitizer in the nozzle of the shop vac while it is running to help reduce the odor...clean the shop vac, hose and filter often. When you set the fumigator off you must leave the area for 3 hours. When I come back I find hudreds more dead. It also seems to have a residual killing effect that last for days even a week. Biggest entry points seem to be around loose screens, Chimneys and window air conditioners.
William
08 Oct 2009, 10:45
Never tried the Raid Fumigator, but Raid Ant and Roach killer in the aerosol can (oderless non-scented) works well directly on them or along baseboards and walls. They prefer vertical surfaces and came into the second floor bedroom through small openings around my window air conditioner. Plug up all cracks and crevasses with tape until their season is over, which looks like now as cold sets in. They will keep coming back to the same room unless you cut the scent or cover it. To draw them out keep the lights on in the room, then blast them. They will vanish in a couple of days when you block them out and kill the ones confined inside the area. Good luck.
Tash
08 Oct 2009, 14:03
Anyone know how they got here? I read somewhere that they are not native to this area.
William
08 Oct 2009, 14:14
They came from Asia within the last few years...another unwanted import form the Far East. Balance of trade is fine, but they can keep their bugs. Two years ago at this time we were overrun with earwigs. I hit them hard and I have only seen one or two since. It helps if you don't put mulch next to the house, and never, ever take free mulch at a public giveaway. It can be infested with them.
Always get commercial, or make the mulch yourself. I learned the hard way.
jean
08 Oct 2009, 20:32
I live in the city of Pittsburgh and they completely overran my studio apartment starting in mid-September. I was still getting about 50 a day even after taping up windows. I had a friend notice that they were coming out of the air conditioning unit! I taped it up with duct tape and a garbage bag. I've had few if any since. There will probably be a lot of dead stink bugs when I undo the bag in the spring, but it's a small price to pay for a bug free home:)
Betty
09 Oct 2009, 14:38
I am SICK of these bugs! We had a few last year but they seem to have called all their friends over to party. I just killed 16 on my kitchen walls. I know that they are only pests and don't do anything harmful but I'm completely grossed out and my 3 kids are freaked out by them. There has to be a way to prevent them from coming back. I'm about to spray my screens with Windex to try to lure them away.
kellie
09 Oct 2009, 16:36
We are screwed. We live in the country in WV, surrounded by soybean fields, we have numerous fruit and nut trees in our yard and we are overrun with these stupid bugs.

I am at my wit's end and will probably go completely and irrevocably insane before this winter is over with.

I would sell my soul for an effective solution to this problem.
trish
09 Oct 2009, 20:58
Seems these bugs are invading the nation! Moved to Martinsburg WV from
Cleveland Ohio. This is bad, we never saw one...until we got here over the winter 2009.

Would someone please post the ratio of Dawn Dish Soap/H2O. Desperate as the
problem increases daily.

Thanks for any advice, and appreciate suggestions.
trish
09 Oct 2009, 21:18
Thank you
Esmit
09 Oct 2009, 23:07
Hitting them with windex seems to work pretty good. keeps them off the windows too!
Amanda N
10 Oct 2009, 00:22
I've been using pledge hardwood floor cleaner, since its the only thing I could find in the house powerful enough --- works well enough. I learned the hardway not to hit them with a shoe, as the crunch and guts and smell made me feel sick. However, I think killing them brings more of them since theyre attracted to that scent. The more I kill, the more I find!
Tina
10 Oct 2009, 00:43
Yeah, I highly recommend you do NOT use a vacuum for these buggers (if they are still alive).

If anything, they are sneaking into the the little crevices of the window tracks. Find some clear or black or white caulking stuff (whatever matches)to fill in the gaps in your windows you might not have noticed. I see caulk as the only means of home invasion prevention (which is next on my to-do list).

Usually I run for the 409 bottle and squirt them about 4-6 times (not really sure the count)... I think its the mixture of the stickyness and chemicals that eventually drown them in it, but I only do this when they are on the window itself so I don't ruin curtains or walls. I've gotten used to having an empty plastic cup laying around and a hard piece of paper (similiar to a postcard, usually from junk mail)... and scoop them up, hit the flush lever on the toilet, and bang them out of the cup into the running water (I've had incidents where they fly out if I don't flush BEFORE I dump them in the toilet). It's surprising the surfaces they're able to cling onto.

My curtains were COVERED in them so one at a time I scooped off what I could for the toilet. But the curtains have a sewn in layer they got inside of from the opening on the bottom so I carefully took the curtains down and put them in the bathtub... filled it with water and a tiny bit of detergent (I found that if its just plain water, they can easily swim to the surface for air, but the detergent makes it sticky and hard to breathe for them I think) and used the jet feature on the detachable showerhead to make sure they drown. They REALLY did NOT like the jet feature cuz all of them started stinking at once. Then hung the curtains on the shower rod to dry to make it easier to remove the corpses before I put the curtains in the washer. They REALLY did NOT like the jet feature cuz all of them started stinking at once. After air drying the curtains on the shower rod for 24 hrs (and the little detergent I used during the 'elimination process') the smell is almost gone.

As far as the outdoor invasion... good luck!
Ray in Frederick
11 Oct 2009, 09:29
The stink bug attack this year was unbelievable. There were hundreds of these buggers hanging on the side of my house and literally a hundred that coming in through the sliding glass door each day. I sealed the whole door with duck tape and they still got in. At one point I was so angry that I went outside to swat them to death. The first swat only shook the siding and hundreds flew off and came right back and landing on me. I felt like I was in an Alfred Hitchcock bird movie. They are gone now but I am going to take everyone's advice and prepare for war, next year. Thanks.
Sam
12 Oct 2009, 15:36
I have had a bunch in my studio apartment and I can't get all of them because they're up on my curtains. I don't know what to do to get rid of them. I've killed at least 15 already. Will landlords do anything about them?
Beth
12 Oct 2009, 17:01
My husband has been using Goo Gone. It works really well and kills them immediately. A little pricy for hundreds but works well in a spray bottle.
Mariah in Havre de Grace
14 Oct 2009, 12:28
Over the weekend, I plucked stinkbugs not only off the walls of my kitchen, but also out of my bag, off of my mom's pantleg, and out of a tissue box. I get the heebie-jeebies thinking about it! I've never seen such an infestation before. And they definitely crawl out of the toilet if you don't flush right away. We have been vacuuming them without incident, and there haven't been any stinkings officially. My grandmother had the same problem up in Philadelphia, and she called the exterminator. The bugs went disappeared, but came back soon after. I can't wait until a big freeze wipes them out.
Destiny
17 Oct 2009, 01:26
I finally took my air conditioner out. I went to close my curtains and there was about 20,000 of them in my curtains! I am so freaked out by them I felt like they were crawling all over me so I am sleeping on the couch downstairs until I can get the bombs. Thanks for the suggestions.
Laura
17 Oct 2009, 09:40
It seems these bugs like to hide, not only are they in the curtains, but they will crawl under bed covers, folded cloths, blankets, any place they can get to. Be sure to shake out your clothing before putting them on as my husband found one inside his pant leg. Now with the heat on, they are slowly migrating to the warmest room. Hopefully I can continue catching them to reduce their numbers. Hope they don't lay their eggs in the house, otherwise next year will be worst. Thanks for the suggestions.
Tracy H
18 Oct 2009, 04:25
Is there anywhere that DOESN'T have a stink bug problem ???? I really didn't know they were this prominent !! We're here in Roanoke VA and it seems to me that we didn't have such a terrible problem with them until just a few years ago. I could be wrong, but that's when I noticed the "stinky" problem was getting out of hand.
DB
20 Oct 2009, 15:26
Thank you so very much to the poster who suggested Dawn mixed with water in a spray bottle. I'm in Annapolis trying to enjoy the day with windows open and these guys were all in my office window, YUCK! All dead now! and no pesticides!
Ellie
20 Oct 2009, 20:02
I never knew there were such things as stink bugs. I live in north central New Jersey and this is the first year I've seen these guys, but they have been invading every day for the past two weeks. I have my list of things to try written up and want to thank you all for sharing information.
EJ
21 Oct 2009, 09:45
I have operated a pest control business for 26 years. I would not suggest buying cans from various places. I would strongly suggest checking out your local tractor supply or southern states or hardware store for permethrine. usually pint/quart size. same active ingrediants in all the aersol products. Much cheaper and will make gallons for home use. Also use boric acid around entry points exterior, window etc. small amounts does the job, most dollar stores 2 lb bottle. Awesome product on various pest in/around the home. just do not apply mounds of it.
ADM
22 Oct 2009, 01:20
Just used Dawn/Water spray bottle on a bug chilling on my light. He's not moving anymore.

Thank you so much everyone!
Jess
23 Oct 2009, 20:41
Something that I have tried that worked was using lavender. I have dried lavender hanging in every room, fresh lavender in vases, lavender spray, lavender oil, everything lavender that you could think of. It fixed my stink bug problem and hopefully it can help you too.


I live in Central Pennsylvania, and the stink bugs are getting ridiculous. There are so many and they are all over everything. It is disgusting. I cannot stand it! This is the first year where I live that stinkbugs have been bad, honestly I never knew about them until about September.

Ellie
25 Oct 2009, 15:45
Well, I took a number of the suggestions and stocked up on some supplies. I really didn't want to use heavy poisons and started with garlic oil in my attic and the Dawn, water and a touch of bleach mixture. I did buy Agway's Household Insect Control spray with the active ingredient being "deltamethrin". It's supposed to work for up to 4 months and used it around the bottom of the house, up my chimney, and in a hidden crawl space under the house.

I still have one or two beasties a night but a spritz of the Dawn mixture and they drop to the floor within less than a minute.

Thanks to all of you for sharing such great information!
rick crowell
25 Oct 2009, 16:53
I have those bug to hear n maryland. I sure hope your remedies work. will let you know. thank you.
Shane
25 Oct 2009, 23:07
hello everyone ... I too am from Pittsburgh and i notice these creatures everywhere ....i cant sleep at night cause i feel them on me or i hear the noise they make when they land or hit a wall ...im going crazy .... ...ive tried everything ... it just seems to make them come more ... i was wondering about the electronic pest devices ( not the bug zapper ) but the ones u plug into an outlet and its supposed to send a high frequency sound ... do u guys think that will work ??
EJ
26 Oct 2009, 08:37
To Shane and anyone else here, Please do not waste your money and time on any form of electronic pest devices. THEY DO NOT WORK!I am currently removing mice from a home on a daily bases that also had been using such devices. To date I have removed 37. These devices are much like the ones used to deter pest birds that also do not work, the birds as with pest become used to the electronic pulse. I have also had many cases with german roaches in homes using the same thing. I understand going green and the desire to not use harsh mechanical and chemical methods but sometimes there is simply no alternative.I have been in the PMP business for 26 years and believe I have seen alot of quick fix marketing schemes come and go. feel free to contact me with questions/ concerns I enjoy giving advice to avoid paying high pest control prices.
kat
26 Oct 2009, 12:35
okay well im getting the hebby jebbies just by reading all of this!! i hate bugs and these are the ugliest grossest bugs ever. i dont even like leaving my house because they are always in the doorway waiting to attack!!!! maybe they are harmless but they are so annoying. im going to try febreezing everything so they stay far away!
Pam
29 Oct 2009, 10:50
i tried something last night for spiders and i seen a stink bug so i put some on it that thing it was. was ammonia i did not add water it did kill it with a slow death but it also keep it for moving out of that spot until it died so hopefully this help someone because where i was living in maryland there was just to many for not so bad here in greensboro nc but they really gross!!! me out
jean
29 Oct 2009, 21:42
another thing that seems to have helped me- treating all the areas where they have landed/i have found them with ethanol (obviously not on anything flammable). one of my friends got the idea that it might get rid of the pheromones they give off, and might keep them from coming back. it takes time but it was worth it.
Luann
02 Nov 2009, 03:44
I live in Northwest NJ and this is the second year we have experienced the prescence of the discusting stink bug. This year is unbearable! My husband was out on the patio several days this summer vacuuming up over 2,000 stinkers on the house with the suction hose. He'd remove the full bag out of the vacuum, seal it with several plastic bags and put it in the garbage (in the garage!). In the house I found clusters of them behind pictures hanging on the wall; I've had to check pillow cases on beds as occasionally I have found them crawling inside on the pillows! I have also found them inside water faucets, shooting out when you turn on the water...Yikes! It's been a nightmare - you just don't know where they will show up. I also found one in my parked car. Thank God I found it before I drove down the road! One day I was at the doctor's office to take notes about my medication. Once in the office, I opened the leather binder which held the writing pad and then at least ten stinkers came crawling out of the binder pocket onto the floor of the doctor's office!! OMG!! I don't know how much more of this I can take - I hate any kind of bug and this stinky, rotten character tops the list - I've used caulk, hot water, dish detergent, bleach, Windex, hair spray, Avon's Skin-So-Soft oil and whatever else that's not overly toxic (allergies). I hope Rutgers University or the Depatment of Agriculture is aggressively working on a resolution to this stinky problem! We need some help!!
PhillyL
03 Nov 2009, 18:39
HELP!!

I rented a storage unit in August, and I went back today to check on my things. These stink bugs were EVERYWHERE all over my things. It was so gross. I did not come prepared with spray, so used a broom to wipe them off boxes and onto the floor and out of the unit. But, I know there are more hiding in there and I don't know what to do to get rid of them. I want to go back prepared to kill them and prevent them from coming in again. Please help me!!!

Thanks!!
Linda
08 Nov 2009, 12:28
We woke up this morning and there were hundresd of stink bugs around our house. Pleaase give us some tips on how to get rid of them. This is scrary.
JT
10 Nov 2009, 12:47
I will tell you how to control these bugs from my experience...First caulk or recaulk all crackes in your windows and doors both otside and inside around the trim. Repair trim and seals around all doors to make them air tight.
Second caulk and seal all around the floor trim..If you have rugs use the clay rope caulk to seal the bottom with the rug. Third caulk around all light fixtures that are attached to the ceiling...Especially recessed lighting...Tape also works good for temporary covering. Outside caulk all openings and cracks such as water pipes, cable lines etc...You can also temporarily screen your chimney temporarily during the swarming season...check for gaps in the roofline and behind fascia boards and seal them with caulk. Also plug all your unused outlets, I have seen them come out of there too.

You may do the next step yourself but I recommend a professional pest control company. You must first get in your attic and dust around the fascia, soffits, gables, ridges etc... with Tempo or Delta Dust. Have the exterminator power spray your house on all four sides from roofline to foundation, with a heavy concentration on windows and doors, and chimneys. The only product that works in my opinion is a microencapsulated insecticide...I recommend Demand CS as the superior chemical for these bugs. You can also use Suspend SC or Talstar P...you may have to spray some of these more often. This should be done beginnig in August and Spray again in October...following all the labels of course...You can't prevent them from landing on your house but they will die if they enter. Also, you should dust the fascia board from the outside with Dust getting in under the roof line.

This has worked for me this year as I have many neighbors being tormented by these things but I have not seen one in my house so far this season and am enjoying a relatively stink bug free season...I know of a few other in Philadelphia, Lancaster and West Chester who are also enjoying this season as well.

I hope this helps
JT
Laura
15 Nov 2009, 17:33
These things have been coming in my house forever!!! Sometimes if you have air conditioners that you put in windows they come in through them. I just took a pair of pants out of my hamper to wash and there was 6 stink bugs on my one pair of pants!!! I know what your thinking... I flushed them all down the toilet I have been doing that lately but now the toilet is going to be full of them because there are so many!! I also have a bug catcher that I got not to long ago. You push a button in and put the catcher over the stink bug and press the button again and they are in there! I am not sure how to get them out yet but I'll figure out soon because it is filling up fast!
Donna
17 Nov 2009, 19:52
Do not let them spray your eyes it really burns.
Donna
17 Nov 2009, 19:56
I have them in my orange tree in the backyard at home. That is the only place they are for now, I am trying to rid them naturally if i can as it is a fruit tree we eat from....but from your stories it sounds like they will eventually end up in my home. What a nightmare...I have small kids and dont want them spat at as I was sprayed in the eye yesterday and it is still hurting now!! Do you think if I kill them out of the OJ tree they will move in with us???
John
17 Nov 2009, 22:36
Drown them in a small cup of mouthwash, takes about a minute or two for them to soak it up and eventually die. They'll try to swim to safety with no success. You'll probably notice them spread their wings moments before death. Shake the cup around to make sure their legs don't move. Mouthwash works like a charm!
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