Stink Bug
Summary: When is the best time to hire a professional to treat for stink bugs and what should be included in the treatment? Knowing the answers to these questions could save you time and a lot of aggravation. You can learn more and/or purchase stink bug control products here.
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Jay; Rockville, Maryland
We just found about 10-12 dead stink bugs and 2-3 live ones. I don't mind spending the money for an exterminator to keep them from taking over our house, but do I spend the $400-$500 now or do I wait for it to get worse? Do I need a service contract for stink bugs?
Jay:
Why wait till the stink bugs get worse? They are not reproducing inside the house, but they are finding ways inside via cracks and crevices. My suggestion is to do a combination of thorough mechanical exclusion and hiring a pest control professional to do a thorough treatment.
 Roof treatment |
Buy a case of high quality expanding foam caulk. Be sure you understand how this stuff works. You don't want to pump in a bunch of foam only to watch it bow out your siding as it hardens. Silicone caulk is, still another sealing product. I really like the abrasive filler called Xcluder. It's cheap and easy to use. Use products that will last a long time. The better products have great help lines you can call should you require assistance. Pay attention to the west and south sides of the house first. Those are the "sun" sides and the warm surfaces attract insects.
Caulking and sealing requires time and patience. A good extension mirror is a big help when you are trying to find all the nooks and crannies where stink bugs can enter. Instead of leaning out dangerously on a ladder, use the mirror to do the reaching. Professional inspectors also carry a really powerful flashlight to inspect inside dark crevices.
After you have completed your part of the anti-stink bug project you can call in a professional pest control company to do the pesticide application. The pros will often try to sell you an ongoing program. It's their job. But, stink bugs are occasional invaders. They do not reproduce inside, so there is no worry about finding one stink bug and thinking that their population will suddenly explode. The only reason you will discover more is if your house happens to be in the way of their migration path. If that is the case, stink bugs will land on your house and find their way inside. That's why you are going to instruct your exterminator how you want your treatment to proceed.
Be very specific about what you want. Make your exterminator understand that you have done your research about stink bugs. You want him to use a pesticide dust like Tempo 1% in the attic spaces. This is not a dusting of the general spaces, but a specific treatment of the spaces between the roof rafters at the gable ends. That is the lowest part of the attic where the roof line comes down to meet the floor. It's tough to treat, but a prepared pro should carry a dusting tool with a long, extension pole. The tool is called a "dust stick". Make sure to tell them to bring one along to the job. That ought to impress them.
You will also need to ask the pest control company if they do roof treatments. Not all pros carry ladders, but you want your roof treated with a long lasting product like Talstar Pro or a microencapsulated product like Onslaught. You want to get some protection under the roof shingles. Other areas to treat include under the siding and around windows and doors. You are trying to set up the most complete insect barrier possible to keep stink bugs at bay. If you have a pump sprayer you can do the treatment yourself.
 Dust Stick |
To make sure your exterminator knows you are serious by requesting that he bring you a copy of the label of every pesticide to be used at your home. All pest control pros are required to keep copies of labels of all their pesticides. It means a little extra preparation work for them, but it is your right to ask. It is good to have the label to check to see if the pesticide being used is meant to work as promised by your exterminator. Do not let him begin the work without first giving you the labels.
Make your exterminator work for his dollar. Watch him the entire time he is at your home to make sure he is thorough, yet careful. Don't let him get sloppy when he is applying the pesticides. It's your home and you have to live there. Don't worry about looking over his shoulder. He needs to know you want results.
Lastly, you do not need a service contract for stink bug control. You only need to do this service when you are finding the stink bugs. If you have done a good job on the mechanical exclusion and your pest control company has done a thorough application, you should be set. Plus, the pest control service should carry a 30 day free call-back period. They may not want to guarantee their work because much of the success will be dependent upon your exclusion efforts. I would not offer a money-back guarantee if it were my pest control company doing the work. But, they should honor the free 30 day call-back period. Insist on it.
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Comments
05 Apr 2009, 22:34
05 May 2009, 14:56
15 May 2009, 16:10
29 Sep 2009, 18:01
Btw, for anyone interested... this year we had sealed up the place, took out the AC before Sept and they are not inside (yet!), however for a couple weeks we were seeing them hanging out on our windows and door. They were actually getting in between the door and screen door and I have a huge phobia of them... I was literally afraid to leave the house. Had to battle them every time. So my husband and I sprayed the door, screen, etc outside with a mix of dawn dish det., water and bleach and five days later ... not one bug on the door. I accidentally left the main door open yesterday for two hours. They would normally have been inside for SURE. Not one bug came near.
30 Apr 2010, 13:14
Heck, I'd cover my trailer with dung if that would get rid of them! For the lone soldiers that make it through, I plan to get an electric fly swatter to make it hands-free. I don't know what they survive on or how their numbers are getting so big.
Hang in there everybody and get ready for the next wave!
09 May 2010, 00:22
09 May 2010, 19:37
31 May 2010, 14:08
04 Sep 2010, 02:46
I heard these buggers are from Asia from the importing we receive..figures..
these things are up there with the ROACHES FOR REAL...u can't get rid of them...
22 Sep 2010, 23:21
On the outside, we have been less successful. We kill them with tobacco spray but there seems to be an endless supply of bugs. Formula: Soak 2 packs of cigarettes in a gallon of water overnight, strain through a stocking, stir in liquid dish detergent and put the mixture in a pressure sprayer. A sprayer is easier to use and more effective than a spray bottle.
Next spring we will spray the garden and nearby trees. I don't know how effective that will be becaused we have a large garden and many trees. Wish us luck.
23 Sep 2010, 10:57
Tape may be particularly useful in an area where stink bugs seem to congregate - perhaps by screens that are not tight enough.
23 Sep 2010, 17:24
I live in VA, and the stink bugs are worse than ever this year. I would consider myself infested with stink bugs. Outside for sure. My windows and doors are covered with them. Light and heat is a big attraction.
I have done some research and so far hearing much of the same stuff. One thing that they hate is oily surfaces. One suggestion was to remove all foliage around the house, which seems difficult to me.
He said to plant marigolds, lavender, and mums.
Also, garlic, spearmint, thyme is good around perimeter of house.
It is an ongoing problem helpful to read other peoples' solutions. thank you for your help
23 Sep 2010, 20:08
23 Sep 2010, 23:44
I went upstairs today and I had like 79 on my ceiling and walls,I took a water bottle to catch them . Guess its time to take the ac out... AND try water,Dawn liquid, and bleach idea.
24 Sep 2010, 14:39
24 Sep 2010, 14:47
29 Sep 2010, 01:08
11 Oct 2010, 12:04
I swear I'm about to turn the whole side of my house into a giant bug zapper. >;) Flip a switch on and off real quick a couple times a day and shock the stink right out of them.
When I mentioned thousands of them earlier that was no joke, it seems like there is no end to their numbers. I'm sure there are stronger professional grade things out there but I have pets I don't want exposed to the chemicals, and they don't wanna be kept in all the time either. So I guess I'm stuck with what I have for now. Good luck everyone.
01 Jan 2011, 15:17
17 Feb 2011, 07:55
17 Feb 2011, 23:41
21 Feb 2011, 16:10
The problem really escalated last year during the summer. My husband loves to have the windows and doors open in the nice weather and they considered it an open invitation. In one day alone we killed 80 in the kitchen basking in the skylights. My husband poo-poohed me about this but I believe there is something in my blood or pheromones that really attracts them. I am diabetic, and I believe that they may smell that I am "sweeter" than the average human. I know that their primary source of food is fruit trees and unless they can do leaf identification to find their favorite tree, I assume their sense of smell guides them to their food source. Clearly, they have an immunity to their own smell or they would commit hari kari. Last week I started a bowl of granola purchase from the grocery store bulk granola bin, and bit into one. I don't know if it was in the cereal or in the bowl and I didn't see it. In case you haven't had the honor, they taste worse than they smell. I threw up and brushed my teeth for at least 15 minutes. The next night I awakened to find one on my eye. It did bite me when I tried to pull it off, although an ice pack was enough to get rid of the discomfort. At this point I am becoming someone with panic attacks. We found some old flea bombs that we had from years ago and bombed the bedroom. It is one thing to see one climbing the wall and another to find them on you when you are most defenseless. The next day I found about 6 on their backs in the bedroom. They appeared dead, but I had read about "zombie stink bugs" from a blog, so I put them in an empty container and sure enough they were NOT dead. They stayed alive for at least 12 more hours. The next night (last night) I thought I would finally have a good nights sleep. We had done our stink bug check before bed and looked in the heat registers, under pillows etc. I awokened 1 hour later to find one crawling up my neck. My husband, who had been skeptical about them targeting me, now agrees that there is something that is attracting them to me. I am philosophically against poisons. We have already sealed cracks and entry points, although they may be getting down from the attic. I am thinking about trying the old mosquito netting so that I can sleep at night - I don't know what else to do. I have sprayed one with enough hair spray to kill 2 humans and they kept on trucking. We have a really large, house built in the 60's and don't even have screens for all the windows. WE don't be opening those windows in the summer and its such a shame. We live on 6 acres with a lot of trees and it must be stink bug heaven. I understand bats are one of the only natural predators, but I think it would be problematic to introduce bats into our home. Are there any natural sprays that we can use outside the home to decrease their population or breeding? How do we KNOW that they don't lay eggs inside the home - do they discuss their sexual preferences? Are they shy?
21 Feb 2011, 22:09
