Once they are in, they are in like Flynn, he said. “There’s not a lot that homeowners can do,” said Jentsch. “Once they are in your house, in many respects all bets are off. You have to deal with them before they come in. They are not like cockroaches where these things are going to cause illness or feed on your eyebrows, or pustulence. As an annoyance, there’s a certain level of tolerance that one could employ. You want to seal up your house — then if you wanted to employ an insecticide you could go that route outside of the house.”
Firing up every light in the house is not a solution, as they are actually drawn to the light. One way to battle the space invaders is by targeting the favored trees in which they perch — namely the Ailanthus tree — to get the most bang for your buck.
Jentsch said that the majority of stink bugs found last year were not seen on local crops, but that plague could soon follow as the numbers increase. Nor are they regarded as a threat to home gardens, though they love to feast on seeded or moisture and sugar-rich plants, such as grapes and beans.
You smell something?
What is that smell, anyway? Stink bugs have six legs, range from one-quarter to one half of an inch, have a body silhouette shaped like a shield, and are marbled with brown, grey and black. Some people say they cannot smell them at all, but others report the stench makes their eyes water.
If you avoid sitting next to the stinky guy on the subway, you will agree that a stink bug’s pungent cilantro-esque odor is an excellent line of defense. Ironically, they release the same odor when trying to aggregate as well. According to Animal Planet, the smell comes from a putrid liquid found in two glands on the bug’s thorax. Once released, the odor remains on whatever the stink bug touches, and tastes exactly like it smells. Some animals, such as birds, are willing to overlook the bug’s obvious shortcomings in favor of a crunchy meal. These shortcomings, however, do make it inadvisable to squish or squash the bug. Rather, experts unanimously agree, flush the sucker.
While BMSB evokes fear and loathing among many, Jaimee Moxham of Saugerties has an appreciation for the little buggers. “I used to corral them into containers and set them free,” she said. “I had one in the house for the longest time. I’d put him outside — he’d reappear somewhere else — I’m sure it was a different one. I just started to call it Otto. Hard to hate something with a silly name and a doofy disposition which entertained my cats endlessly.”
My home is INFESTED with stink bugs! I haven’t seen anything in the stores down here (I will NOT use pesticides…I have small children AND pets), but I saw some traps for sale online. Any recommendations??? Thanks!!!
Someone told me that they nest in the soil of your house plants and around this time is when they hatch out of the soil,. was wondering if this was at all true? Or is it just that the plants are a feeding ground for them when they find themselves in your home.?
They do not nest in the soil of houseplants and they don’t really feed on them either. In fact when they are indoors they really do not eat at all. They are overwintering and their metabolism has slowed down. When temperatures warm up they become active again and try to get back outside.
A few winters ago, my house was infested also. They all left for greener pastures in the spring.
This article STINKS!
Hah! What about bedbugs? Those are biting folks at night, reproducing like there’s no tomorrow: vampirish creatures whose nocturnal blood-sucking ways should leave the “ick” factor of stinkbugs in the stinky dust! They come in boxes, tourists, luggage, clothing, and once manifest never seem to leave….and the itch they leave behind can be truly nuts-driving. Doctors don’t know about them either, because if they did they would know what their bites look like. What about a Health Ulster County War on Bedbugs?
They liked to winter over in our upstairs bedroom in the Town of Ruby.I’d just pick them up as I’d see them and plick/flick them out the window. They’re pretty slow and didn’t even try to run away. Never a stink, either. Maybe they liked the ride from the upstairs window.