Stink Bugs!

[mountainsoft]

I had never seen a stink bug in person until 3-4 years ago. I think we had one or two in the house over that winter. Since then I've seen a few outdoors, and the occasional bug in the house.

This year we have had a lot. I have to kill 2-3 in the kitchen almost every night. We've had a warm winter which probably doesn't help keep them under control.

The hard thing is trying to figure out how they are getting in. Our house is sealed up well, so it does limit the points of entry, but they are finding a way in. I've never seen any around our doorways, so I don't think they are flying in when we come in and out.

I initially thought I might be hauling them in with the firewood, but I have been inspecting every log in detail to make sure nothing is on them. We also get bugs even if I haven't had logs in the house for a while.

They're almost always in our kitchen, so my first thought was through the range hood vent. But I disassembled and cleaned it and don't see how they would get through. There are inner and outer vent flaps that close tightly when not in use, and there are filters in the vent also.

Our mini split is located up on our kitchen wall, so I suppose there's a remote possibility they could climb up through the condensation drain line. But that would be quite the journey. I'm planning to vacuum the line out when I get a dry day.

The only other spot I can think of is around our woodstove chimney. There's an air gap between the chimney and roof structure, and I think the flashing at the top has some vent slots in it. Unfortunately, the weather hasn't been nice enough to climb up on the roof and check. The ceiling is 14' feet high indoors, so I haven't checked there yet either. The odd thing is the woodstove is right between our living and kitchen/dining, but the bugs are always in the kitchen and not in the living room.

They're basically harmless, but they are very annoying, and stinky to kill...

 

[Sorcerer]

We have them through winter...and spring, summer, fall. They're always around now. I don't even kill them anymore. If we see them on the wall we just let them alone. They die in a few days and we suck them up.

If on the rare occasion they are in the floor and someone may step in it, I'll pick them up and throw them outside.

Whatever our semi annual exterminator sprays doesn't bother the stink bugs...or the imposter lady bugs.

 

[Fermion]

This particular species (the brown marmorated stink bug) came to the USA in the mid 1990s from east Asia (probably hibernating in a wood crate) and hit Washington state in 2010. When we first moved to eastern Washington and bought some mountain land in 2017 there were none. Starting in 2018 we noticed a couple around. By 2023 they were hiding all over anywhere they could fit. This year I opened the door to the small shed we have near the top of the property and no joke, they are 1/2 inch thick on the floor. I should really take a picture, you would freak out.

Fortunately in town we have only seen 5 or 10 around our house, and not inside. We built it tight. But I feel like they are coming. They have no predators at all.

Actually these may be western conifer seed bugs. Still stink.

 

[Slim11]

My home is pretty tightly sealed, they still get in. Flush them down the toilet. They will not bother you.

 

[Mark1]

We had issued with chinese elm seed bugs coming into the house several years ago via an uncaulked gap between the exterior brick face and the soffit (and the soffit vents themselves). I had the gap caulked and added a higher mesh size screen to each vent covers. This worked for us.

My theory was that the bugs were getting into the attic, walking under the insulation, and then entering the room via the recessed canned lights/ceiling fans.

 

[pacergal]

They make their way into our home also.
Usually grab them with a tissue and either crush and flush, or take them back outside and let go.
Stinky! Live up to their name.

 

[Masquernom]

We've been getting them here in Kentucky also. I suspect the chimney. I've found they make some plugs to seal the chimney. I'm going to investigate sealing it up since we don't use it.

 

[Mr_Pink]

Stink bugs, in general, like earwigs, amongst others, are positively thigmotactic, meaning that they keep tightly to surfaces/cracks/small openings and rarely move out into the open. They can sneak into structures in many ways. They also overwinter as adults, so you may see them in your house weeks after they've snuck in, after being disturbed (spiders, vacuum cleaners, etc.) from their overwintering hiding places.

 

[jollystomper]

Maybe 6-7 years ago stink bugs seemed to peak in the Mid-Atlantic area. I recall in the fall going to gas stations and the under of the canopies over the gas pumps would be layered with them. They got into our house despite our best efforts Being attracted to light and heat, our standing lamps would end up with a lot of them, and our computer/laptop/tablet displays would attract them in darkened rooms. We would vacuum them up and throw out the bags as quickly as possible. And do not even talk about our shed or outside storage cabinets...

At the moment, however they are not as much of a problem in our area. We have found less than a dozen in our house since the fall, and see few flying around or dive bombing us when we are out and about. We will see how the rest of the winter goes.

 

[mountainsoft]

Stinky! Live up to their name.

I've heard the smell described as sulpher like, but to me it is more lemony. In any case, when you crush them the odor is very hard to wash off. I feel like I have to do some kind of surgical scrub every time I crush one. Thankfully they just sit in one spot and let you kill them.

They seem to appear indoors in the evenings, between 4-9pm or so. Probably searching for a warm place for the evening.

We always have the under cabinet lights on in our kitchen, which probably attracts them. We don't dare leave any food exposed. A couple of times they have crawled up inside our roll of paper towels. Yuck.

As much as I hate them in the kitchen, I'm glad they're not in our bedroom. That would really be creepy.

 

[Dash man]

Maybe 6-7 years ago stink bugs seemed to peak in the Mid-Atlantic area. I recall in the fall going to gas stations and the under of the canopies over the gas pumps would be layered with them. They got into our house despite our best efforts Being attracted to light and heat, our standing lamps would end up with a lot of them, and our computer/laptop/tablet displays would attract them in darkened rooms. We would vacuum them up and throw out the bags as quickly as possible. And do not even talk about our shed or outside storage cabinets...

At the moment, however they are not as much of a problem in our area. We have found less than a dozen in our house since the fall, and see few flying around or dive bombing us when we are out and about. We will see how the rest of the winter goes.

I remember when my son and his family first moved here to PA, the back of his townhouse was covered by stink bugs. The next summer they were covered by spotted lantern flies. Haven’t seen many of either for a few years now.

 

[YellowSubmarine]

In Ohio, my sealed house gets plenty of stink and lady bugs...every fall. In the spring they break dormancy and they want to get outside but can't figure it out. I keep sticky pads (spider traps) at each window and various corners. This minimizes the nuisance.

 

[Dtail]

Finally one bug not in Florida (at least by me). We do have love bugs twice a year, which can smell when killed. They don't get in the house though.

 

[ksr]

I get a lot of stink bugs in the house, some years more than others. I am pretty sure at least some of them are coming in through the chimney, because I have seen them crawling around inside the fireplace glass doors.

 

[GenXguy]

I had several of these invasive stink bugs hiding the the folds of my living room curtains. I got rid of them, but after that, I would just see one occasionally. I just checked those curtains upon reading this thread, and there are none there. I remember seeing stink bugs occasionally going back over 30 years ago, but I see a lot more of them with this invasive species.

 

[Flute McG]

Check that gaps around pipes are sealed. Some pipes are hard to get at - like the ones under kitchen cabinets or under a false floor under a sink.

Flute