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What is the Best Way to Control Stink Bugs?

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

People can control stink bugs using a variety of methods, many of which are inexpensive. Sealing the home or building is the first line of defense, followed by removing or reducing food sources. Some people have had success with natural methods such as kaolin clay, diatamaceous earth and light control, while others simply vacuum up the insects they see. Insecticides also can work, but these are only appropriate to use outside of the home, and they don't work on all species or for very long.

About the Insects

You can use a caulk gun to seal your home and prevent stink bugs from gaining easy entry.
You can use a caulk gun to seal your home and prevent stink bugs from gaining easy entry.

Stink bugs, also called shield bugs, are insects in the Pentatomidae family, and as their common name implies, they have a foul smell. Brown or green in color with a somewhat boxy or trapezoidal appearance, they emit small amounts of a noxious substance from glands under their bodies, which deters predators and sends signals to other stink bugs. Native to Asia, they have made their way into other regions where there aren't many creatures that feed on them, which has allowed them to reproduce rapidly and in large numbers. In the home, they are relatively harmless, but they do cause problems in agriculture, making crops unfit to eat.

Exclusion

Stink bug on a leaf.
Stink bug on a leaf.

One of the most basic ways to handle these pests is to make sure they cannot get into the building. This isn't as easy as it sounds, because the average home has many potential entrance points. A good start is to apply weather stripping and caulk around doorways and windows, and to install door sweepers. Chimneys and air vents also should have screens, and sometimes, it is necessary to replace structures with old or rotting wood, as the insects like to hide in it. These improvements might cost a little money, but they often will make a home more energy efficient and improve the value of the property in addition to keeping it pest free.

Plant and Lawn Care

Colorful stink bug.
Colorful stink bug.

Most species of Pentatomidae feed on plants and use them for cover, although a few types are predators that eat other bugs. They happily feast on fruits, beans, peppers, pecans, at least 70 different types of ornamental plants and other field crops, as well as weeds and grass. An easy method of control is to remove their food sources. Plants that are very close to a house should be taken out, which will force the insects to cross barren ground to gain access to the structure. Keeping grass heights low with routine lawn maintenance also helps.

Kaolin Clay and Diatamaceous Earth

Insecticides that target stink bugs can be sprayed from aircraft on to farms.
Insecticides that target stink bugs can be sprayed from aircraft on to farms.

After weeds and other plants around a building have been reduced or completely eradicated, a good trick is to sprinkle remaining plants with kaolin clay, either as a powder or as a solution. A harmless substance often used in cosmetics, this mineral coats plants, making it difficult for the insects to lay eggs and feed on them. Any clay on fruits and vegetables simply needs to be washed off before someone eats the food.

A spray bottle filled with a solution of dishwashing liquid and warm water can be used to kill insects.
A spray bottle filled with a solution of dishwashing liquid and warm water can be used to kill insects.

Another natural deterrent is diatamaceous earth, which is a form of sedimentary rock that crumbles into a powder easily, and which includes the fossils of hard-shelled algae called diatoms. These fossils give the powder a mildly abrasive quality, and when bugs try to crawl over it, the diatomaceous earth scratches their exoskeletons and causes them to dehydrate and die. It also is thought to get caught up in and cut their joints, so it is an excellent tool for discouraging their movement. It is important to use only food grade versions with this tactic, because commercial types have added chemicals that can be toxic. Patience is also a must, as it takes some time for the insects to die.

Soaps

A very common remedy that often works to control an infestation is to use a simple solution of soapy water — people have used detergents as a cheap insecticide for at least 200 years, according to Colorado State University. Experts still are researching exactly how it works, but they think it causes problems with the cell membranes or waxy coating on the exoskeleton, making it easy for the bugs to sink and drown, or, when out of water, to dehydrate. Many people have had success applying some with a spray bottle, which works well for ones on screens. Other people put a small amount in a regular bottle or jar, using the lid to knock the bugs inside, and some individuals prefer to use an open bucket, particularly if there are a lot of insects to deal with. Experts sometimes recommend spraying the outside walls of homes with a soap solution as well.

Vacuuming

Vacuums are often an effective tool against stink bugs, and many people like this removal method because it is a quick way to handle many insects at once, and because it doesn't require any chemicals. Once they are in the vacuum, it takes minimal effort to dispose of the bag or canister contents. One note here, though, is that it's necessary to get a separate machine, leaving the regular one for cleaning alone, because any insects that die during the collection process will make it stink.

Light Control

Like other insects, stink bugs are attracted to light. The simple action of keeping blinds or curtains closed at night can reduce the number of them around a home. Some homeowners find that they have to stop running porch lights or remove garden and pathway fixtures to stop the problem.

Other Methods

A tip from Bayer Advanced™ is to rub dryer sheets with a powerful scent over screens, which reportedly keeps stink bugs from getting in by up to 80 percent. The same company recommends hanging a damp towel outdoors where the insects are a problem. Once the bugs congregate on it, a person can take the towel and toss it in bucket of soapy water. Although squishing them isn't usually a good idea, if they are outside, killing a handful of them can release the smell that will warn others away. Rick Steinau of Ask the Exterminator also recommends electrocution systems for spaces such as attics.

Insecticides

Chemical insecticides which are formulated for various stink bug species are another control option. Many insecticides are highly toxic and are difficult to deal with, however, so they should really only be considered as a last resort. Most professionals do not recommend this method for use within the home, not only because of the potential danger to people and pets, but also because the dead insects can attract other pests that will feed on the bodies. Even when used outdoors, this technique usually doesn't work for more than about a week, depending on the exact ingredients.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the most effective methods for controlling stink bugs?

The most effective stink bug control methods include sealing entry points in your home, using soapy water to kill them, employing sticky traps, and vacuuming them up. According to research from Virginia Tech, sealing entry points can reduce indoor stink bug populations by up to 80%. Insecticides may be used outdoors, but should be applied by professionals.

Can natural predators be used to control stink bug populations?

Yes, natural predators such as birds, spiders, and predatory insects like the parasitic wasp Trissolcus japonicus, which is being studied for its effectiveness, can help control stink bug populations. However, relying solely on natural predators may not be sufficient for large infestations, as noted by entomologists from Penn State University.

Are there any DIY solutions for stink bug infestations?

DIY solutions for stink bugs include homemade traps using light and water pans, or a mixture of water and dish soap sprayed directly onto the bugs. The University of Maryland Extension suggests that handpicking stink bugs and dropping them into soapy water is a safe and effective method for small-scale management.

How can I prevent stink bugs from entering my home?

Preventing stink bugs from entering your home involves sealing cracks and openings around windows, doors, siding, utility pipes, and chimneys. Installing tight-fitting screens on vents and repairing damaged screens on windows and doors are also crucial. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends exclusion as the best long-term solution to prevent indoor infestations.

Is it safe to use chemical insecticides for stink bug control?

Chemical insecticides can be effective against stink bugs, but they should be used with caution. It's important to choose products specifically labeled for stink bug control and follow the manufacturer's instructions carefully. The National Pesticide Information Center advises that chemical treatments are most effective when combined with non-chemical methods and should be considered as a last resort.

What should I do if I find stink bugs in my garden?

If you find stink bugs in your garden, you can handpick them and drop them into soapy water, or use floating row covers to protect your plants. According to the Agricultural Research Service, certain insecticides may be warranted for severe infestations, but always consider the impact on beneficial insects and follow integrated pest management practices.

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a AllThingsNature researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Learn more...
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a AllThingsNature researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

anon971736

Everyone is so sick and tired of stink bugs. Everybody has their own way to kill them. Yes, of course finding the "entry holes" is obviously best but for those who still are dealing with stink bugs and aren't sure where they are coming from and can't afford an exterminator, I'd ask that you please take a look at what I do. It's very simple, you must not be afraid of catching them though. I'm originally from a city in New Jersey so I'm definitely not used to them and didn't like them at first, but I found a great way to deal with them that keeps me sane and comfortable.

I have a quart-size plastic container, the size up from a pint, that's the size I believe it is. It's a very thin plastic but doesn't matter. It isn't usable anymore, of course. Anyway, just five minutes ago I had an attack. Three of them at once were on different parts of office wall. I have Raid ant and roach killer spray, and while many tell me it doesn't work, I beg to differ. I used to just sneak up on stink bugs and cup them into the plastic container, sliding them in with the lid as well, then closing it. They would die of suffocation in like three to five days.

But all I do now is spray the Raid ant and roach spray into the plastic container, enough to where there's at least a 1/2 an inch (as much as you prefer, really) of spray in there, like a tiny pool of it. Then I proceed to do the same as before, only this time, these little creeps die way faster in the container -- I physically watched it happen. I'd say it took about five minutes. Sometimes I shake them in the water, but what happens usually is when they fall in, they fall in upside down on their backs so when they are in the Raid pool, as I call it, I see them trying to flip over but at the same time, sucking up all of the Raid and they all die the same lately: legs straight up, sort of like a death salute!

I believe they have some sort of intelligence within their pea-sized bodies and heads and soon enough they will pass along a message like, "Don't go to that house anymore! Why? Isn't that the guy on his computer all day from Jersey who is afraid of us? Yes, it is, but like – I don't know, he got smart and isn't afraid anymore. And you know all the containers he uses on us? Yeah yeah, I know, big deal. Oh, it's a big deal, right? It is a big deal, man! He calls it the Raid pool and our brothers only survive a good three to five minutes. A horrible, mad death my friend!"

So, to those who said they "laugh and scoff" at Raid and Off!, well I haven't tried or used Off! bug spray. But, I am actual proof of Raid being the ultimate death trap when used the way I do it!

Happy killing! --Tommy, master stink bug killing expert

anon942758

People like us need to unite and tell these tree huggers and the government that we are taking our homes back. We need to find an underground or back alley to get some stuff that will really rid our homes of these things and get our freakin' lives back. I have every right to live in my home and on my property without eating, sleeping with and breathing in stink bugs. Anyone have any ideas?

anon350062

With all the smart people in the world, why hasn't someone come up with the remedy to get rid of these things? What a shame. I guess I over estimated it. There's really not a lot of smart people in the world. I hate stink bugs. They're just flying spiders with a hard shell. They give me the creeps. I swear if one lands on me, I'll freak out!

anon338157

A few months ago I was bitten on the arm by a stink bug. It left a painful, yellowish colored, dime sized welt that turned into an ugly scab that took about a month to heal. Needless to say, after that incident, I have taken it upon myself to kill every stink bug I see.

I don't like pesticides at all, so I was using hairspray for a while and it worked O.K. My method now is clear nail polish. At first, I would take the brush and drip some of it on them and now I just walk right up and paint it on them. As soon as you get it on them, they walk slower and can't fly anymore because their wings are sealed shut, then after a while they die. It may sound like slow torture, but after being bitten by one of the little (insert curse word here), I don't give a darn! I hate the darn things!

draftfix

You can keep stink bugs and other insects out of your fireplace and fireplace vents with magnetic vent covers and the Flue-zee flue cover.

anon330460

This is our anti-stink method of killing them. Grab them gently with your hand - if you're gentle, they don't sense danger, and don't emit their stink. They will not bite. Take them over to your Scentsy wax warmer and drop them in the hot wax. It seals their stink holes, and kills them in about three seconds. You can kill several before you have to change the wax.

anon295559

Unless you have SB's by the hundreds or more, save your money and don't buy a vacuum for them, which apparently makes them use their stinky stink anyway. Get a plastic fly swatter with lattice work -- little holes in between plastic grid and very gently coax them onto the fly swatter so they don't release their stink. Then go to the toilet and whack the swatter on the edge of the toilet so they fall in and drown. (very satisfying to do, I must say.)

Once you have finished collecting all the SB's you can find, flush the toilet (most likely this will need to be done at least once per day). (We tell them they are going swimming with Scuba Steve!) They won't escape out of the toilet in the meantime, and you won't run up your h2o bill. This method works and you don't have to deal with the disgusting feeling of squishing them or making them stink in any way.

Keep a fly swatter in every area that you have SB's so you can collect them immediately, as you see them, as they tend to disappear if you have to look away for very long.

If you have hundreds or more SB's, sweep them off into a wide mouth funnel attached to a plastic bag or plastic container with h20 in it so they drown and don't try to crawl back out. Then pour the h20 and dead SB's in the toilet and flush! Voila! No digging, no stains, no mess and you don't have to touch them or get any closer to the end of the fly swatter or broom stick.

Definitely use either method above with as little light as possible as they are attracted and more active with more light and do this in the morning or turn up your a/c because they are also more active in warmer temperatures. Good luck!

anon294570

My husband has been the killer of these disgusting creatures for going on our third year in Pennsylvania now. It's October and they have come back in swarms.

He is handicapped, stays inside most of the time or out on our wrap-around porch and uses a cane. Unfortunately, he has been squishing the bugs with the tip of his cane. My ceilings have smudge marks from all these dead bugs. And of course, he has done nothing to clean up the smudge marks. Another job on my list!

The first year he must have killed over 1,000. Now it's much worse. The bugs are determined not to die!

What my most important message here is that I believe and think I heard that by squashing the stink bugs it attracts more bugs, since they release their scent big-time then.

I can't just go around picking up one bug at a time to flush them away or put each one inside a jar. We need some agricultural help! My house is full of animals and several birds which I raise and they are highly susceptible to the fumes.

Our farm is also loaded with livestock and crops so we need something safe to use on the bugs that will not kill our pets! My husband is still squishing these bugs to kill them. Then I've been yelling at him not to do that, so he picks them up, pulls their heads off and throws them away. Now I'm finding out some bite? Are you kidding me?

What can we do without calling an exterminator? Now we just received a call from a relative who said the bugs have invaded Boston. Good luck.

anon282868

Ii had tons of gray black orange stink bugs all over my melon plants and even potato beetles, black and yellow, and one green lacewing bug or fly. I don't know, but I killed all the bad bugs and kept the lacewing bugs. I used dish soap and water. Most of it was soap and the rest was water in the spray bottle.

anon280888

I am a taxidermist and borax is what we use to debug mounts. When I moved in my shop it was infested with everything. I put borax into all the cracks around the baseboards and windows then caulked them. I removed all the outlet covers and put borax inside the metal boxes themselves. Turn off the power to the boxes first!

I put a fresh coat of paint on the walls and ran lines of borax along the countertops and along the sliding glass door track. I poured several cups of borax all around inside the AC closet and around the unit itself.

It took about week and the entire house was empty of bugs. I put lime in the yard every six months and it keeps everything nice outside. I put borax around the outside of the house six inches or so from the wall to the edge of the wall and inside the window sills on the outside as well. I keep the porch light on at night and what few flyers come in are eaten by the frogs.

The only thing I can't control with borax is lovebugs. They attach to the house and the cars and unless you actually spray them with a bug killer they are there until they die. For those who don't know what a lovebug is, look them up.

anon266318

Stick them to a small piece of duct tape and tape them up.

anon255842

I live in Chester, NY and stink bugs have taken away my enjoyment of summer on my deck. They are out there by the hundreds all over my beautiful furniture, and they love my colorful patio umbrellas. I am disgusted by them and won't go out on the patio.

They are also in the house and I kill each and every one that I can. They are so disgusting and make me want to vomit. They are making me crazy and I want my beautiful deck back. Can't someone come up with a way to destroy them? Please help!

anon235687

Bugs don't like vinegar, baby powder or borax. Put baby powder where ants are coming in and leave it. You will never see another ant. Stink bugs won't walk over borax. Put a line of it around your house. No bug really likes vinegar. Spray white or red vinegar around the periphery of your home. Remember, what you spray or use to kill bugs hurts humans and animals. Whatever you spray or use goes into our air, earth, and water. A little tolerance works too.

When I lived in the desert, bugs, crickets, spiders, ants sometimes got in the house. I had a bug jar and put them outside. There are many ways to be humane to who and what we share this earth with. Try to stay humane and non-toxic. Unless we have a crisis of some sort, toxic sprays hurt you.

White vinegar has so many benefits. It is the best anti-microbial and anti-bacterial there is. I use it on windows, counters, to clean my toilet, sinks, tub, and I put it in my laundry when I have contact with mold.

Dish soap and water helps on plants for some insects. There is a natural solution for everything. I've found, and this is my least talent, that if I exercise a little patience, I can eventually exorcise the pesty critter.

anon218735

From Charlottesville, VA. Spray the outside of the house (windows, doors, walls, even the ground and plants) with two cups water/10 drops liquid detergent. This is a natural "sticker" spray. Then spray two cups of water with four teaspoons garlic powder solution over the same area, concentrating on the southwest side of the house. The detergent helps the garlic solution "stick longer." You may have to repeat every few days or a week, but it works to repel stinkbugs. Also, plant sunflowers away from the house as stinkbugs love them. If you don't have a green thumb, as I don't, buy sunflower oil and dump it away from the house.

Although these are natural ways to deal with the problem, I am by no means a "tree hugger". I'm just broke and couldn't afford any expensive treatments or to lose my sanity, so I had to find something I could try. The house smells like garlic after I spray, but I'll take that over bugs any day! Good luck.

anon217509

OK. I have a sure way to get rid of these bugs and any others that you want to kill. I found that if you go to Wally mart or any auto parts store and buy a couple of cans of brake cleaner (not carburetor cleaner or intake cleaner -- it must be brake cleaner). This stuff will kill them almost instantly. It will drop them from the sky to include yellow jackets too. The best part is that it evaporates and you are left with a dried up bug.

Something in the spray must have an effect on the bug's nervous system. When you spray them they stiffen up all of their legs and become like a statue. I found this out this weekend when I was working on my truck. The damn things were flying all around me so I tried spraying them. Worked like a charm. Boom! Dead stink bug!

anon201460

Old farmers used to crush them in a can (a bunch of them) and mix the bug in a 5 gallon bucket of water with soap in it. Let stand in sun for a couple of days. Strain through cheese cloth and spray on their beans and peas. It seemed to keep the little pests away.

anon184818

I may have found another solution. An exterminator told me to do this when we had a ladybug deluge a few years ago. Open all your windows about 1/4 to 1/2 inch at both the top and the bottom. That's it. I haven't seen one since that time. And they don't appear to be coming in through the window spaces which was my concern. works for me. whew.

anon184563

Demand CS (Lambda-cyhalothrin; a pyrethroid) when sprayed directly on the bugs will kill most of them. However, there is a knock down-recovery effect with this material where the bugs look dead but recover after a few days of paralysis. Talstar (Bifenthrin; another pyrethroid) is very good and has very little knockdown-recovery.

The Bengal Roach spray (Permethrin; pyrethroid) should be somewhere in between Talstar and Demand in its efficacy.

anon180754

Demand CS sprayed on the outside of your home (quarterly) will kill stink bugs. It is residual and does not break down in weather and sun. It does not provide instant take down, but they die!

Delta dust used in attic spaces is very helpful. Caulk gaps between chimney and house, where cables come into the house. Check dryer the vent to make sure it closes properly. Place fine screening on the inside of exhaust vents and central a/c vents. Caulk around the inside trim of doors and windows (where the trim meets the wall) Repairs screens and make sure they fit tightly. Check the screening on the gable end vents and ridge vents of your house; make sure it is secure.

Check the closet attic access point and caulk and duct tape. Masking tape is a quick fix until you can do proper caulking and taping. Keep the draft in your wood stove/fireplace closed when not in use. Stink bugs love window air conditioners and will over winter in them. Remove them over the winter months - they don't usually enter through them in the summer months.

I have been stink bug free for over two years (zero in the house). They will still swarm in September/October, but if you treat your house with Demand CS, they will die after walking on it. We also catch as many as we can during the swarm and drop in Dawn and water. Each one you allow to escape means thousands in the future. Good luck.

anon179749

I went and stayed at a cabin the weekend before last near Burkittsville, MD and Harpers Ferry, WV. The cabin was infested with stinkbugs. There were gaps between the floorboards, so it was impossible to even sweep them out.

At night, it was pitch-black at night (no electricity), so we had to turn on a lantern. That's when the stinkbugs started flying around. Ugh! I did not know they flew before this!

My cousin and I heated up a fireplace poker to red-hot and tried burning the things one by one, but more just kept coming. We had no choice but to go outside and eat our dinner. When we went back inside, the lantern was covered in stinkbugs and we had to take it outside and sweep it off with a broom. We did this a couple of times. After that, we just went to sleep. There was nothing else we could do since we couldn't have the lantern on.

When I got into bed, I dared to lie on top of my sleeping bag since the cabin was hot from the wood-burning stove. I felt something tickle my leg and jumped up and turned on the flashlight. Ugh! Another one was crawling up the wall beside my bed and by the time I finished dealing with the one that was on my leg, the one on the wall had disappeared. I got into bed and lay there with my eyes wide. After a few minutes, I got the creeps, so I turned on the flashlight and there was the missing stinkbug right above me on the underside of the top bunk! Eww. I was about to go and sleep in my car, but instead I took some Excedrin P.M., which allowed me to sleep.

The next day, on the way home, the window was cracked and one flew into the car. We screamed and parked and swept the thing out. Eww. That part of Maryland (beautiful area, with lots of "green space") is loaded with stinkbugs.

I live in Maryland, right near D.C., and so far, I've only seen a few in my house, but I know they're coming. They scoff at Raid Ant and Roach spray and they point and laugh at Off insect repellent. I am officially paranoid that they will infest my house and bring along their friends, bedbugs!

anon178974

I live in Beaver county. It is a huge problem where i live. I can't seem to get rid of them. Ive done the Dawn thing, and yeah it helps, but really I'm sick of these things. I never had a problem with bugs, and I'm not afraid of them or anything, but i was got bit by one of these suckers, and i have an empty pop bottle on hand all the time.

My husband makes fun of me, because i won't go to sleep until every one of those buggers are in a pop bottle, I'll stay up half the night just to get rid of them. I catch anywhere between 20 to 40 a night. It's a living nightmare. The worse thing is, is that there is a tree in front of my apartment, and i can't cut it down, and it just gets worse as the year goes on.

My grandparents live in Ohio and have four and a half acres, and a garden, they don't seem to have the same problem that i do, and they don't do anything, except put lime or something like that on their garden. They have trees and everything on their property. Sometimes i just go over there to get away from my infuriating stink bug problem.

After being laughed at for most of last year i bought Bug Spray with DEET in it, and spray it on my windows, and that seems to help keep them out, for about a month, then i have to go and respray them again. I'm at my wits end with this things. I don't have carpet so i don't own a vacuum, so i can't just suck them up, and deal with them that way. Thanks to this site i have new ways of trying to get ride of the pesky buggers.

There is no coexisting here, they bit me, I'll kill every last one of them in a pop bottle. It hurt when the little bugger bit me. I'm so not looking forward to summer.

Scarlet91

I live in Charles Town, WV and I have a definite phobia with stink bugs. I thought I was bad with ticks, but these critters are the worst. I have a problem looking at them and the thought of them coming again, this year to invade us makes me sick to even think about it! Last year, they were on our pets, in our house and all over the outside of our house, (windows, door, siding) and it looked like a horror movie!

We tried "Home Defense", available at Southern States, and that was the only thing that killed them, on contact. We had to spray the whole outside of the house each day, but it did look like a stink bug grave yard. It didn't repel them and it leaves a film on your windows and glass doors, but it was worth it to not see that many of them crawling around. When I saw them in the house, I take a paper towel and spray it first with lysol or air freshener, grab them and squeeze the heck out of them to make sure they are dead. The lysol alleviates the smell and then I dispose of them, in the trash.

I can't believe they can't find something to control or get rid of these things. I keep hearing they are working on it and saw on the news that some woman swears she has found the answer, but will not disclose it until it is patented. These web sites that charge you to help you is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. We are all in this together and should be helping each other. Shame on you people that are trying to make a buck on this thing.

Anyway, hope my info helped all of you and it's worth a try. It did work for us. There you go and I didn't even charge any of you, for my help. Cause that's what concerned and helpful neighbors do! Aren't there enough crooks in the world? Really!

anon173817

i use an ultrasonic bug thing that plugs into a wall circuit for spiders.i wonder if it would work on stinkbugs as our daughter has them in n.j.,but it's too cold here in Vermont.

anon173743

I thought I had a stink bug problem. I see maybe five or six a day inside the house. After reading this, I think maybe I am more fortunate than the rest of you because I have free ranging chickens and guineas. I will try the eucalyptus spray for the ones inside the house though.

anon171909

I keep a coffee can with about 1/2 inch of rubbing alcohol in it. I use the coffee can lid to flick the stink bugs in, then reseal. I let them accumulate and eventually flush the whole mess in the toilet. The can allows you to not have to touch them and keeps the smell contained.

I wish I could find all the crevices they're entering the house from. The way they're buzzing comes our of nowhere is so unnerving. I wish someone would develop an effective solution. I'm already dreading summer.

anon170874

They are not harmless. They destroy crops. Do not put them back outside. collect them in a jar half filled with vegetable oil with a tight fitting lid. When full throw out with the trash.

anon168909

We bought a house in VA that is infested with stink bugs. Outside we spray with dish soap and water mixed in a garden sprayer. The bugs don't like that at all and it will kill them if the mixture has enough soap in it. The best part is that it is non-toxic and won't hurt your plants.

Inside the house we made a trap from a aluminum pie plate (nice and shiny) and a desk lamp. Put soapy water in the pie plate on the floor, then bend the lamp down so it is a few inches from the surface of the water right over it. A tensor lamp works well for this, you can bend it so the bulb is parallel to the water. The bugs are attracted to the light and end up getting caught in the water.

We leave these trap lights on every night in the worst affected areas of our house. So far it has made a big difference in the number of bugs we see during the day. It isn't the total solution, but it does help while we work on sealing up the house as best we can.

anon165999

I've been living in a heavily wooded area of Pittsburgh for the past year, in anticipation of purchasing a home across the street and starting a kitchen garden. There are also many fruit trees in my future city farmstead. Now I'm thinking my dreams are going to be eaten by stink bugs. Many thanks for all the suggestions for indoor and outdoor control\elimination!

One lovely day last summer, the front porch was filled with family and friends, just sipping and chatting -- and batting away stink bugs from our bodies and flicking them off the edges of our glasses.

I was idly spraying attacking SBs with Wasp and Hornet killer ["oooh, gimme more, a little to the left"]obviously having no effect. In a moment of SB induced madness, someone suggested painting the SBs with some yard sale fingernail polish. Everyone chose a color and daubed as many as possible. Nope, it didn't kill them, but they did tend to fly a little crooked with Passion Pink on the left wing, and DynaMite Red on the head caused some collisions with the porch pillars.

Keeping the list of essential oils and killing potions on the ready for this spring. Again, thanks!

anon164347

Come on, I've killed hundreds of them, inside and out and never smelled anything. The smell is a myth.

anon164346

There is a solution. No wasps either! If every household had a stink bug eliminator kits, they would eventually be wiped out. It doesn't kill the eggs, but it sucks up the egg laying adults by the thousands and turns them into plant food!

anon162447

Poor stink bugs. Man, if you guys were going after wasps or something that actually hurt you I would support it, but stink bugs don't hurt you at all. This whole website is for a silly cause, but it has good ideas.

anon161246

I live in Pittsburgh,PA and I have been fighting these bugs for two years now. Our 135 year old farm house is impossible to seal up. I spray outside with dawn and water, inside catch them and put in toilet with soapy water. When I have enough caught, I flush. I also have used a flea fogger in my attic and ortho home defense max around baseboards, doors, and windows. Still, when the temps climb a bit, out they come! The nightmare just never ends!

Lots of good advice here. I found this site by accident and am so glad. This *is* war and defeat is not an option! Onward, fellow warriors!

anon160377

SBs have gotten into my furnace through the vent to the outside. The furnace guy says I can't put a mesh screen over the vent due to heat build up. I can't use oil based sprays around the furnace pilot light. Any one with ideas?

anon159385

I love the posts that say the average person swallows three stink bugs per year. This reminds me of the "statistic" that the average person swallows eight spiders per year. Of course it's not true!

anon158329

From Jefferson, MD. We bought a BugZooka (which requires no batteries) and hunt them every day throughout the house. It works really well. Of course, you have to get right on them but it means we don't have to touch them. squish them or get them in our vacuum cleaner. We empty the reservoir into a plastic bag and put it in the freezer to kill them as we don't want to release them back into the population. On the recent days when it got a little warmer 60+, I was catching 20+ a day throughout the house. We might bring out the power washer this year and give some other suggestions a try. Good luck for us all and thanks to all posters/suggestions!

anon156515

I live in the Leesburg, VA and have been at war with the stink bug for several years. I have found permethrin foggers work best when the bugs are in a contained environment (attic, garages). Pyrethroid dust in the attic also works. I have been disappointed with bifenthrin (talstar). In the nymph phase of the stink bugs, they can be confused for lady bugs. This is when they are most vulnerable. Once their shell is solidified - I believe targeting there nervous system is it.

Incidentally, these stink bugs are most more dangerous than just "pests." They have infiltrated my motors (atv, lawnmower,etc.) and can clog and cause serious damage.

Unless these bugs are found to cure disease, I remain at war.

anon156440

Loudoun county. Found that they were coming into an interior bathroom via the vent. They were entering the vent flap on the outside of the home and crawling 20-plus feet. When we turned on the exhaust fan, it sounded like popcorn popping. Took a small wet vac and sucked up the ones that were brave enough to come out.

robinson915

If you read wikipedia or any other report about SB's laying their eggs on the back side of leaves, they're adapting. I found some eggs on my window blinds.

What makes this so bad is that I don't have a SB infestation. I may find one to three SB per month. May God help those who are infested!

anon154653

A battery operated zapper that looks like a tennis racket is useful for killing stink bugs, although one at a time in your home. Harbor Freight Tools is where mine came from. God help us all.

anon154287

This past year the sink bugs were just overwhelming at our wooded property in SE PA. We had pest control service spray the exterior all around the deck, doors and windows, as well as some dusting inside the basement drop ceiling, which did help. Unfortunately SBs have to crawl over the pesticide for it to work.

Then we discovered that flea bombs worked very well inside the house, killing them by the score. Also, when cleaning my walk-in closet I noticed that while there are plenty SBs in the crawl space storages, there were only a few in the closet (in spite of an unprotected access space in the ceiling above). But I did have several packs of cedar spaced along the shelves. When we checked two other cedar-lined cabinets, no stinkbugs were found. So we are going to try some cedar packs and cedar oil maybe mixed with eucalyptus and see how that works to repel them.

Finally, we bought a battery hand-held vac that we use exclusively for “stink bug patrol”. I treat a coffee filter with flea spray and use it between the canister and the filter. Yes the vac stinks and has to be washed out every so often, but with an A-frame wall of windows and french doors it is necessary for daily clean-up.

anon153966

I never touch those things. I only have a couple a day in the house, and I deal with them immediately on sight. I just fold and wet a kleenex with water and throw it over the damn thing. This prevents them from stinking up the space, and you can easily pick them up wrapped in their own little burial shroud. Into the toilet they go and flush. Also, never stare at them. All animals can read intent by the way you look at them. So don’t make them nervous by staring with murder in your eyes, because that’s when they get defensive and start stinking.

anon153917

Loudoun County, VA. (violated truck). We have a few here and there, but just wait. Soon it will be thousands, and that's the problem.

Wooden homes, older homes (cracks etc.) seem to be hit harder on the inside for obvious reasons.

My questions:

1. They did not hibernate at my home. Does this mean they have become "hardier"?

2. Does this mean by May we will be fighting the battle we fought last August, but now it runs from May through October?

3. Unfortunately, this is too big for "the farmer, homeowner." The government needs to spray from above. With what? Talstar does work, but not in a mass application. I cannot control them with Talstar on my own property.

My screens have been bent out from SBs. Open your windows and look at the base of the window frame, and screen corners etc.? It's gross.

Fog applications as they did in the 60's and early 70's is most likely the way to go, however with so many "tree huggers" etc. these days they will try to stop the spray application.

4. Application kills SBs, but it will also kill everything else. What's the damage, long term?

Hence, had they thought about introducing the SB, and the long-term problems, we probably wouldn't be posting. Food for thought.

The Department of Agriculture will have to step in and of course, fight the "no chemical, no kill" attitudes.

I am more than willing to allow anyone on my property to collect as many SBs as they wish, as long as they take them with them on the way out.

Suggestions: Cover food at all times (when cooking especially). They come out due to the heat of the stove top. Gross but true.

I have read all posts here, and guess what: if you think they are "in my walls" "in my vents, gutters, attic, car molding etc." you're probably right.

Fact: New Statistic: the average person swallows three stinkbugs a year! When did that become a statistic? It's a real problem!

anon153879

Writing from Frederick MD: I have found using lemon Joy in an Ortho sprayer that hooks to the hose set on 2.5oz or 3oz and spraying will kill them. This is not instant, takes a few minutes. I also use a spray bottle for in the house. I had them one inch deep last summer around the house. I have a grey house as well, but they love any plastic, siding, cardboard,seems like anything man made. If you vacuum them, put in a few cloves. It helps with the smell. I just want to put a net over the house and yard or move to the city. I have farmer friends who have had to use wipers in a combine because they are so bad in the fields. Guess we have to wait until someone important enough in government gets invaded.

anon153787

Last summer my family and I moved into a 100 year old Historical home in Upper Marlboro, Md. We discovered there were thousands of SB swarming the property and doing their best to capture our home.

Our young teen daughters hated venturing outdoors, or sitting on the porch. At times I'd take a broom and bat the invading swarm. Most of the time I was overcome and retreated for dear life!

I didn't get furious. I decided to pray and ask God to reveal to me what to do so we could enjoy this beautiful property. I thanked Him for the answer and expected that He was going to show me.

One nice morning, while sitting on the porch with my son, I decided to apply eucalyptus oil mosquito repellent to his body. Surprisingly, I realized the bugs were retreating. As soon as the SB flew in to land on the porch, they couldn't leave fast enough.

So, as an experiment, I took the little bottle of eucalyptus oil and sprayed on all the posts, the doors, windows, walls, corners, floor cracks, shrubs, grass. I squirted a few pumps in various areas. especially Around the he house. Every place the mist fell, SB's were lifting off like little helicopters!

Not only did the SB's retreat, but also mosquitoes, flies gnats, ants, black widows and other weird looking critters I'd never seen.

It's warming up and we've seen them waking from hibernation. So we plan to prepare a larger solution of castile soap with eucalyptus oil, using a high powered sprayer to clean the house first (roof to ground). Using protective gloves and glasses, we'll then prepare and use a strong solution of eucalyptus oil, cayenne pepper or the hottest pepper we can find in hydrogen peroxide, probably 7-15 percent grade. We'll use this to repel if not kill them throughout the rest of the year.

Hope this post helps someone. All the posts were very enlightening and funny. Love this site.

*Before using hydrogen peroxide, do the research on safe dilution. It can burn, so use gloves and safety goggles.

anon153690

RE: Cleaning the smell. Rubbing alcohol (Isopropyl) works for me to get the SB smell off my hands.

anon153675

i am a major bug-a-phobe and this is one of my worst nightmares. It's been 65 degrees up here in the Northeast (I'm in jersey) and lo and behold when i went into my bedroom tonight found two in a row by my window. i am freaking out.

when my son isn't around to grab them i use hairspray. they get all stuck and gooey and then i vacuum them. however, i am going to invest in one of those bug vacs. they have a built in bug zapper so you vac them up and then the get zapped as they get sucked in. its gotten good reviews and being a severe bug-a-phobe i think it is a worth while investment.

but I'd really like to know how the heck to keep them out in the first place! those suggesting the talstar p, does it deter them from coming in or just kill the existing ones? if i was sure it was a preventative measure I'd make the investment. if i ever wake up with one on me or if i ever find one in my food I'm going to need therapy and I'm not joking.

good luck to the rest of you especially those with the severe infestations. i have a family friend who wants to sell her home and she can't because she is so badly infested. i feel so bad for her! God bless! -Jen

anon153595

I just made Chicken Tetrazzini - with all fresh ingredients. In the middle of dinner, I got the distinct strong taste of the same noxious smell that I've had for a year or two when scarfing up stink bugs. Without hesitation, I ran to the sink, and (to put it delicately) inspected the suspicious taste, found that I had in my mouth: a @#%*^# stink bug. Luckily, I think the taste alarm went off before I chewed him.

These things are enough to drive you bonkers. I have hundreds every day. This report comes from a scenic easement, agriculture and wooded, north of Leesburg, Virginia. Haven't wanted to bring in the chemical troops, but don't know how I can avoid it for one more year.

anon153589

the plug in pest controls don't work either. I have tried everything and the little bleeps keep coming back. the only thing that has kept them down was our chickens. they love them -- don't know why.

anon152646

We've found that flea and tick killer - frontline will actually kill these things. If you spray them you can kill them -- though they die slowly.. and I think you've gotta get their underbellies because their backs are too shielded.

We keep a milk jug and a swiffer. Put a little frontline in the milk jug and drop the bugs in each time. If you put them near a swiffer they grab on and then literally and almost willingly jump into the jug. Put the cap on and they're dead in seconds. As for keeping them out of the house, we laid frontline down around our screen door (which was the worst). It worked, a little.

sunny1

fellow stink bug sufferers, you better unite with some ways to seriously control these guys. we in VA are expecting 50-60 degree weather this week. they have already began taking over and yesterday was only 40.

to those who give solutions for a 100 a day lucky you, but be prepared because once you have them, they seemingly multiply by the second.

Please, please someone give some advice for a large scale application. They are everywhere. we fight them in our homes our, clothes, our food and even our drinks and pets' water. there has to be something to help. this is a plague of biblical proportions!

anon151177

For those of you that have wood stoves or fireplaces they are probably coming in from the area around the chimney. Our house has a woodstove in the basement with a metal chimney going out through the roof. The wire on the outside part of the chimney has big enough gaps to let SB's in. I've heard you need a wire mesh no bigger than 1/8 inch to keep them out. I plan on doing this in the spring after any that are in my attic have left.

anon150099

we kill hundreds every day. it's february and we still have hundreds in the house. we were told that the cold doesn't kill them, so we brought one in from outside and it did come back to life. we fill about half a 20 oz. bottle a night. The smell is horrible and they stain things. If you pick them up with your hands they stain your hands and the smell won't come off. I need to find a way to trap and kill these things quick.

anon150036

In Urbana, it's unbelievable. this year is worse than the last. I fogged the ceiling of my side room, which was a side porch so the crawl space is not exposed to the interior. I also sprayed into my kitchen ceiling through the recessed lights. It didn't work.

We have been sweeping up about 20-30 a a day. All the spraying and fogging did was piss them off and wake them up. They are in your attic. Ours came in from our christmas decoration boxes stored in out attic. This summer I used masking tape around the screens on our windows and was surprised at how many I caught, the ones that squeeze through tiny cracks.

We have an old house, so there are a lot of holes they can come into. We also had a new roof put on this fall. I thought when the workers took off the old roof, the stink bugs that were in the porch roof might disperse. Wrong. Instead, when the flashing was removed from the 100+ year old siding, there was a cluster of SB'S, 200 strong, in a pile clinging to the siding that would have qualified for a horror movie. I couldn't get the poison fast enough before the workers used a leaf blower to evacuate them.

It's really a problem. Before anybody develops a cure, it will have to hit agriculture in the pocket book. Thought I could find help here but I guess not.

anon149977

Co-exist with these suckers? You have got to be kidding. I am unfortunately not looking forward to spring because I am afraid I'll find more and more and will not be able to open up the house and let all that fresh air in.

This all started last August - we saw none before then. What has brought them to the east coast? I have never ever dealt with anything more unwilling to die. I hate these things so much I tested one in a baggie with a moth ball, and a week later it was still kicking. I trapped one on its back with tape - still kicking after a week, although one did attempt to take a closer look at my candle and got trapped in the wax - now he, met his match.

Some days I feel like going mad and tearing at the walls just because I can't figure where these suckers are living all winter. I do feel sorry for those of you who have hundreds - I pick up my 25 per day - but that's the problem. It persists every day!

douginkley

In my home near Harpers Ferry, WV I collected from my living space (and disposed of) 2,086 stink bugs in January,2011 which averages a stink bug every 21.4 minutes (24/7).

I was just eating my chili lunch and suddenly was tasting stink bug, and of course found one in it.

anon148953

Thank you all for the camaraderie and the laughs. Lots of great ideas here. I was thinking my issue might not be as bad as some I've heard of, but I have yet to check all the places others have suggested.

I'm scared to death to check behind my pictures now and will definitely wait until I have my Dawn solution and shop vac handy. We all seem to be in the same general area too (New Market, Maryland here!) What the heck is it with this region?

I thought roaches in Florida were horrible, but at least we could spray once a month and be assured the problem was under control. Glad I checked this site and thanks to the site administrator for the forum - best ideas I've come across! Keep up the good fight people! And the war wages on.

anon148740

We keep a Pringles Can in the kitchen. Helps reach the ones on the ceiling and you can hear the 'clink' when they fall into the can. Once in there, place the lid on and shake. This kills it without having any smell on your hands.

anon146984

Talstar does work! The problem for me though is the fact they invaded my black SUV. While driving, I would find several flying or seating on my seats. One time I noticed about 30 of them lodged in each of my doors in the weather stripping. Not to mention the the horror of seeing many of them on the rear door behind the back seats.

I even noticed while driving 70 miles an hour on 270. the buggers were still holding on the exterior of the SUV as if they enjoyed it.

anon146968

When one falls in your food and you bite down on it, you will not find any humor in these creatures. When this happened to me, I discovered the true meaning of the word wretched.

anon146417

Charleston WV here. The stink bug attack started this fall at my house. I have a monthly exterminator and he said they are at a loss as to what to use to kill the bug. He said the Talstar won't work unless you are right up on the bug and spray it.

When the weather warms up, he is going to use Suspend on my house. You can get suspend at Southern States. He said it is fairly expensive, but works great on hard shell bugs. One day, I was spraying essential peppermint oil that I had mixed with water for the smell and found that it drove the stink bugs out of hiding. I found online where you can make you own bug spray by using essential oils and olive oil.

I went on several different sites on how to make the spray and it looks like any essential oil like peppermint, bay oil, eucalyptus, pennyroyal and rosemary work. At least if I can get them out of hiding, I can work on killing them. My neighbors don't have stink bugs. I think I attracted them by growing big yellow sunflowers and yellow tomatoes beside the house this past summer.

I might try spraying Odor Ban around (it has eucalyptus in it). You can get Odor Ban at Home Depot. Love reading the posts. Trying everything to kill the buggers.

anon145373

What my family has done is we keep a cup with a little bit of water next to a tissue in each room. Once we see a stink bug we pick it up and toss into the glass. No stink and they don't escape. When we have about 2-3 bugs we toss them into the toilet and refill the glass. This method has worked for lowering the amount of stinkbugs in my house.

anon144723

most of you don't get this: we are not fighting 50 or 60 a day. This is a plague. i have fought this with lots of things. The raid fumigators work and so does the spray from the co-op, but there are still hundreds and if it warms up they come back the people who said open your house your crazy! they do not die! the are only slowed extremely.

My next approach, i think, will be steam. We have to get in cracks and crevices. Just check your door frames. People, this is not a joke! please post things that work not a joke. You should pray very hard they do not invade you. We have not found a way to get rid of these. I am sorry now to think of warm weather!

anon143896

We keep a roll of wide masking tape handy. Just tear off a 3 inch piece, stick it to the stink bug and fold it over. He can't move and can't get out. We've been throwing them in the coal stove during the winter, but they can't get out of the trash while in the tape and their stink can't penetrate. It's worked so far!

Oh - even the dead ones stink when vacuumed, and I have a Rainbow vacuum. Thank goodness I can get rid of the water each time. I can't imagine what they smell like in a vacuum bag!

anon142732

I had hundreds maybe thousands on the outside of my house this fall. Usually it's the ladybugs that does this but the last two years its been the sb.

With all the family running in and out they found their way in. In the beginning i was getting out about 20 to 50 a day. I am now down to about 6-8 per day. we use two different methods, I throw them outside or flush them and my husband drowns them in a water bottle with about two inches of water in it, of course with the lid on. I hoped they don't invade this fall like 2010!

They really didn't bother me too much until I awoke at 4:30 am with one hitting me right on my lips, yuck. imagine if i didn't wake up and crunched it! lol. Yuck!

robinson915

These bugs cannot survive in extreme cold temperatures that’s why they seek refuge in our homes. I've thrown a few of them outside in 28 degree to 30 degree weather and they died within seconds. If you’re truly sick and tired of the SB and want rid them of your home, you must allow the inside of your home to get cold with the winter for only a few hours.

The reason I say a few hours is because these stinkers hibernate behind the walls in the installation, closets, dresser drawers, underneath carpets, addicts, water heaters, around furnaces and chimneys, etc….You must allow the cold to penetrate every area until there’s no place for them to find warmth!

As you turn off your furnace and open every window in the house, there’s no need to stay in the home and freeze yourself to death. Just come back after so many hours and reclaim your home.

For the plant lovers who keep plants in your home year-round, your’re breeding these SB’s.

anon139530

Steve and Bob, That is what my 12 year old daughter calls the SBs to manage her morbid fear. "Mom" she yells, "Come get Bob, he's on my bed!" I grab a tissue and wrap it around the offender and off we go to the outdoors where I promptly flick him off the tissue for a long sky dive down about 25 feet to the hard surface below. You can hear the clink of their armor as they hit the ground even from that distance.

She also tells me that one of her teachers said they breathe from their backs and if upside down will suffocate on their own.

We just moved from Hedgesville, West Virginia to Front Royal, Virginia this month and they seem worse here. We even found a horrid gang of a few hundred in a rolled up dusty bamboo shade which gave me shivers and my first wave of paranoia. My friendly tissue removal of single Bobs and Steves is coming to an end. It is time for war.

I will employ a variety of techniques found on this wonderful thread and let you know who wins - assuming I survive.

anon139410

Location - near Allentown, PA

Lots of stinkbugs last summer into fall, and now this winter with it being 20 deg outside still getting 10 - 20 a day on the inside. Spraying them with anything gets old real fast.

I drink pepsi, so I just try to get them to jump into the pepsi bottles before I will try to pick them up and put them in. You have to know how they jump, practice makes perfect. I put a little bit of water in the bottom and they expire soon enough. Some energetic person could sell the water they have been in. It stinks. For pranks maybe, at least make a few bucks for your misery. Still looking for a permanent solution, and that is what brought me to this web page.

anon139190

I entered our guest room tonight to prepare it for a guest arriving in a little over one week from now. I'm in Northern Virginia in Loudoun County.(I'm the one with the truck). Well, I haven't been in this room, and found it was infested with bugs. I had put clothes in those airtight seal bags (thank God) under the bed. The bags were covered with SBs.

I had clothes hanging in the closet. We just put them in garbage bags and brought the bags out into the garage (where the cold weather may kill them). We moved every piece of furniture -- SBs everywhere. I took the drawers out, and found SBs in the dresser, behind a large hung mirror. Tons of them!

Immediately upon entering the room, I opened the windows (letting the cold air in, hoping I wouldn't get sprayed). That worked. Also I wanted to keep them lethargic to suck them up and that too worked. I allowed the room to get the cold air in, but when I opened the window I noticed the screens were bent open. The SBs were filled and pushing themselves into the house (all smashed together); it's what they do to ride out the winter. The frames of the screens were bent from so many SBs.

I emptied the room out by putting everything in contractor bags and immediately remove from the house to outside. Also sprayed pesticide (talstar, one of the products that does kill them).

These SBs are becoming "hardy" for they were not like this last year! Tomorrow we enter the attic, three crawl spaces that we overlooked, and will spray and vacuum. I noticed that they favor higher spaces, I have to think, because it is warmer.

You have to suck up the dead SBs because other insects prey on their dead bodies. Vacuums need to be placed outside, even if you have emptied them (or so you think). Nothing of SB use can remain in the house.

The first time I saw them was three years ago, and I only saw one or two. Two years ago I had a problem and instantly got "involved" in educating myself and sharing with all. Last year, I was in trouble, like many others. We had a neighborhood party last week, and I found out my house is not as bad as a few others on the street.

I do not work, so I vacuum all day long (for one year, every day, chasing and sucking bugs up). They work and can't keep up with them. I think I'm gaining on them.

Does anyone know if we can buy stock in these products? Or research products to come?

There was a 40 percent increase in 2010 from 2009 in crop loss from SBs. That should speak volumes! Do not leave fruits or veggies out for them. You will feed them, which is the last thing you want to do in your home.

I do not want to "alarm" anyone, but rather share all our experiences, which are anything but pleasant. The post where you allow your house to get cold with winter -- not a bad idea as long as you don't freeze to death. It has to be below freezing, but mine have survived 20 degrees, which concerns me. Again, they are becoming hardier.

You have to eliminate them, and not keep vacuums in the home. Flush the bugs down toilet. Whatever. Just kill them before they make babies and lots of them! They serve no good purpose and are a huge pain in the butt!

Exterminators will come and do what I'm doing for not too much money, if you can't deal with it. My friend had her house done for $150.00, not a bad price for sanity. When working on killing the bugs, once you're done, take a shower and immediately wash those clothes; don't leave them in a hamper. Again, eliminating all traces of SB.

I had to vacuum my fireplace bricks because they were tucked up in the mortar. Now that was pretty gross too. I'm almost ready to go into research myself.

Attics, crawl spaces, eves, yes, even your bathroom fans (they have an open line to outside), stove fans (open line to outside) will get it. Anything. If you have small cracks, they will make it a bigger crack (screens on windows they gather and push through). These bugs work as a team to hibernate.

I'm not sure the room will be ready in a week. I do have another spare room, fortunately, but what if I hadn't gone in this room? I filled a dyson vacuum canister up from one guest room! That's a lot of bugs.

P.S.: The weather stripping on my vehicle is being replaced because the SBs wrecked it, by forcing their way in and gathering, and that cost more than I thought it would.

Wish me luck on this mission to rid my house of these, although I feel a losing battle ahead of me.

We need real chemicals for a very real problem. Thank you and take care.

anon138793

We bought a new home in Howard County, Maryland just east of Mt. Airy. We've been here about a month. We saw the stink bugs all over the house this fall and knew we would have a problem but we waited for the home permit and building for many months and my grandbaby now lives right down the street and no way we will let these bugs drive us out!

Since we've moved in, we have not seen many outside the house but they are in the house. Wasn't too bad for a while but they've increased over the past couple of days. We tried a few of the "cheap" and "safer" solutions, i.e. dawn in water and an organic pesticide. Didn't really work. We'd spray the bugs and they would stumble a bit and then march on.

This afternoon, we bought Talstar P. Nice lady at the store immediately asked us if we were trying to get rid of stink bugs. Guess it's widely recognized in this area. She confirmed Talstar P works. When we returned home, we sprayed one of the bugs with the solution and immediately the SB flopped onto its back and went to SB heaven.

This afternoon, we sprayed the attic and the basement and outside of the house. So far, so good! Yippee! We will spray the main level and second floor if necessary and while we are out of the house for a while. I hope this helps others and I also hope this lasts!

anon138554

Ugh. These things infest our house each winter, for the second winter running now. They love our house for some reason. No one else is nearly as badly infested.

We flush, throw outside, or toss them in the fireplace, every single time we see them. And yet I wake up to find them crawling on my blankets, on my couch and the walls. I find them sleeping in my clothes, sometimes after I've put them on (not fun). They're horrible! In fact, I see one crawling on the dresser right now.

The strange thing is that this house was built only a few years ago, and it was built specially to be insulated and tightly sealed. I can't imagine how they got in. Little bleepers.

By the way, to certain people: Don't blame this on Democrats, please. The EPA has been more or less useless under every administration, and do you know which pesticides are banned? Only the ones that eventually get into our groundwater (your water source) and poison it, or ones that are long-lasting and end up killing top-of-the-food-chain predators, like bald eagles, bobcats, or people. (The treadmill effect. I could explain, but it would take too long; look it up.)

The pesticides we have already poison our streams, but don't complain. Look up what it was like when we had unregulated pesticides in the country, when people were getting sick all over the place (and sometimes dying) and the environment was taking a serious hit.

There is basically nothing the government can ever do about invasive species, and that's just the sad reality. They could introduce another invasive species, the first species' natural predator, but of course that makes the problem worse.

What we need to do is monitor everything incoming and outgoing thoroughly. It would cost money, but invasive species are wrecking our ecosystems all over the place, and prevention is our only weapon against these things.

anon138277

I never saw these insects before this summer when some were crawling up my house and I have lived in the country my whole life. I killed some, but being 5'2" I couldn't reach a few and I know I missed some. Tonight while watching TV, I heard a thump and one was on its back on the lamp table.

After reading these postings I'm sick I'm now going to have a problem. I tried to lighten up and did enjoy the humor of some writers, but I can't feeling upset. I'm recently widowed and to have to deal with this alone is daunting. And I can't believe some made it political. It's because of bleeping politics of a certain self-righteous "we know what's best for you serfs," party, we have the "helpful" EPA and the rest of the out of control government to ruin our quality of life. Enough is enough. I'm with you Anon124003.

robinson915

The best way to kill every SB in your home is to turn off the furnace including pilot fires to stoves and water heaters and open all the windows in the home. Every SB will die within seconds when the temperature in the home reaches approx. 30 degrees fahrenheit. You will save lots of money!

anon137019

ever try a tazer?

anon136923

I have found the best method of killing stink bugs:

Mix 3 parts sulphuric acid with 1 part water, in a beaker or glass.

Crush up stink bugs on the rim of the glass.

Other stink bugs will be attracted to the glass, because of the smell from the other dead stinkbugs.

Also, I tried trapping stink bugs in water. It worked, but they swam around, so I had to put quicklime and potassium in the water to kill them.

anon136537

Days before Christmas, and I'm still fighting SBs. Loudoun County, Virginia (violated truck).

TalStar P Works. My problem as the woodstove and furnace heat the house. I have more SBs in the house than I had this summer. Most of my bugs were outside but are now inside. Infestation!

If your SBs die from dishwashing soaps etc., good for you, but I have no choice but to use pesticides, which do work and last.

The SBs did get into my attic, into the air vents, into the crawls space and eaves. Now I have a bigger problem.

Stink bugs do not die at 50 degrees.

As of now I can tell you my stink bugs are living at 32 degrees, as long as they have one another to "cuddle" with, or are able to stay in a corner or protected area, they will indeed live.

I'm not talking one or two a day, or 100 a week, I'm talking thousands, all over again, but now in the house enjoying the shelter.

I've tried all remedies and even more than I'm willing to admit, but the only application that has shown long acting results is Talstar (I believe there are two other companies with same ingredients).

I'll work on SB control over winter.

Fact: They do live in the cold; they are dormant. They are slow, lethargic like in cold climates.

They will not spray when they are cold. Not sure, but they do not spray in winter. Perhaps too much energy used to spray with weather or not able to create the "fluid" without the "heat"? I'd be interested in an answer to that.

Winter is a great time to treat them, because you can get up and close to them and not worry about being sprayed on or dealing with the overwhelming smell. But, you have to be bold and stop being afraid. This is not over yet.

Please do not bring in another "bug" to eliminate the SB, it will only cause more problems. We have to go to chemical treatment methods. Merry Christmas.

anon133278

Throughout the summer, my house was honestly infested with these things. These stupid bugs infiltrated my back porch and, no joke here, I lost count of how many were hanging out in a 6'x6 area after I reached 300. And that dis not include the rest of the porch, let alone the exterior of the house.

My mother and I tried everything from flying insect killer to having an exterminator come in, and nothing worked until we heard about using the dawn dish soap. We used that along with water (more soap for a thicker solution) and used a ziploc container to see if it worked, and it did! When we held the container up to the wretched little bugs, they honestly leaped in the mixture and died within seconds.

Since our stinkbug problem was so bad, we decided to use a pressurized sprayer filled with the dish soap and water solution and spray anywhere with these bugs. It honestly works! Anyone who visited our home never saw as many stink bugs like we had. Even the exterminators who came never saw that many in one place, my house was truly infested with these beasts.

It was truly amazing how a simple combination of soap and water took care of these horrible things.

anon131567

I don't know why some of you think that this is funny and the weird ones that think that this is not a bad problem. I keep my home very clean and it is very hard for me to except bugs inside my house. I just brought a pesticide called sevine that I hope works. You use it outside around doors and garages (purchased from home depot) who informed me that many many people have used it and says that it really works.

anon124003

There is a bigger underlying problem here. This is what happens when the government and EPA continually ban chemicals that are effective in controlling parasites/insects. It has happened in the automotive and paint industry, where everything is now water-based...everyone gets on their whiny soapbox about "oh my, these dangerous chemicals this, dangerous chemicals that.. woo hoo hoo..."

The stink bug is now just yet another item on a growing list of irritants, where, if the government and EPA are so slow to react on anything that there (is, and) will be an epidemic. Look at Hollister/Abercrombie & Fitch's recent NYC debacle with the bed bugs. Again, health and safety are being jeopardized by the lack of EPA's common sense.

Everybody's jumping on the bandwagon of wanting a safe, green environment. I joke with my friends and tell them in 10 years, we're going to go backward and be like London in the 1800's: bedbugs, rats running around our homes, stinkbugs all over, thanks to the lack of swift action by our branches of government. And these are the same people who want to run our human health care program? There. I've said it.

anon119464

I live in Western Loudoun Co, VA (Leesberg) in a heavily forested area. We have been dealing with these for three years in increasing numbers every year. This year it was epoch. Thousands were on our house on the warm sunny afternoons. Luckily our living area is sealed pretty tight so we rarely see them inside.

I just wanted to let everyone know that there is another product besides Talstar that works really well on them. It is called DemandCS. The only place I know of to get it is online. I heard about it through Dominion Pest Control. I have used both of these products this year and both work really well.

I have only used them on the exterior of my house to limit my exposure. These products have killed thousands of them on my house. They do not deter them so the bugs will still land on the house but within an hour or so of being on the house they start showing signs of distress. By nightfall they are almost all dead.

This is the first year of achieving such a high kill rate so I am hopeful this will help decrease the returning numbers next year. They die quickly and quietly without emitting a their foul odor so I am hopeful this will stop them from attracting more to my house.

My plan is to re-treat my house in early spring to kill the emerging ones before they can lay eggs. Then seal my house better next summer and re-treat in late summer to kill any that return before they can send out their signal to others. Hope this helps. Good luck!

anon119142

man i was just in Loudon County WV and man had never seen anything like it. sitting on daddy's farm and one flew and tagged me in my forehead and then landed in my freshly poured double whiskey on the rocks. Man i will tell you you have never smelt anything as bad as that. I gagged instantly and i work at a hospital and have smelled some things, you know? Man, they are horrible and everywhere.

anon119040

I got these stinkbugs too. I sprayed the inside of my house with machine gun fire (killed 324), used a flame thrower (you know, the kind from the movies) on the outside of the house (killed 728), then the fire department came and drowned about 600 of them while putting my blazing house out.

After that, I took a bath in the creek with dawn dish soap and vinegar. Guess what? I got rid of all the stinkbugs and they won't even think about coming near here anymore. Happy hunting!

anon118010

OK fellow bug killers: FYI about my experience.

I have been killing the buggers with a blow torch and although crazy, it is quick and effective and they don't get a chance to spray their stinky. But, my wrist and arm are killing me from lugging around the torch all day and I have been careless on occasion and blown a hole or two in my screens so I was looking to see if anyone has tried making a trap.

I just was in the barn with the Dawn dish soap and I have discovered that while they are dying is when they stink up the joint. It is awful and I had not had the problem before unless I suck them up in the vac live.

I wanted to also mention that it seems if you spray them with one or two quick sprays they take a long time to kill with the Dawn, but if you dip them or saturate them, they go fast. I am a little concerned that a few might recover from a light spraying; however, I have not yet been patient enough to wait it out.

I figure just increase the concentration of Dawn. I am using a 40oz spray bottle with 1/4 cup Dawn and will try a timed experiment on this next go around and submit a report. I want instant gratification, especially if they land on me. The advantage over the blow torch is that the spray bottle can reach farther; however, if you find a nest with hundreds and it is safe to use the torch, you can't beat the speed.

FYI, please explain Mr. Entomologist, why I found them, by the hundreds, all wrapped up in a canvas umbrella and rather large holes where they appear to have chewed through to get to the deeper layers? I though they had sucking mouth parts?

I have also noticed that when crushed on cement, they leave a stain and seem to etch the finish. Maybe their body fluids can kill cancer?

anon117920

We live in Chester Co, PA in a 100 year old house. Last year the stink bugs were bad but this year they are even worse.

We find them all over the windows and screens, between every piece of paper, in the curtains, behind pictures (100s), in our clothing and bedding, etc. They buzz around and dive bomb us at night. We came home one day to find the entire side of our house covered with them packed side to side, end to end.

And yes, they do bite - they are the worst in our bedroom - and we have the scars to prove it. I don't think they are aggressively biting, we have just rolled over on them or unsuccessfully brushed them off. (Self defense? or revenge for the killing of their brethren?) We had huge welts from the bites, like mosquito bites only larger. My husband had one bite that turned almost black. They take about two weeks to go away and leave a kind of scar-like mark.

We vacuum almost daily and suck them up by the hundreds. My husband has sprayed the outside of the house with various chemicals that seem to work at the time but they keep coming. We are still spraying in the hopes of reducing next years attack.

It's comical to read about some of you hunting them down with ziploc bags because here we are dealing with hundreds, thousands, not five or six. At first i would hunt them down carefully trying not to squish them and then flush them away. Now it's full scale war.

I don't care anymore if the vacuum cleaner stinks and my nose runs and burns. I just want them out of my house.

But keep hunting them down, one at a time if you have to, because they will return in numbers. They can overwinter and live several years, laying hundreds of eggs. I don't think they are going away. It will be years before anyone in a government position will help. My guess is they don't have them in their modern homes. Yet!

anon117829

Try a spray bottle with 50 percent Dawn and 50 percent white vinegar, works better than water. Strong hot pepper powder like habanero would probably be another good ingredient since it is a natural insecticide, but I haven't tried it yet.

anon117574

Loudoun County Virginia, "violated truck".

TalstarP - It works. Southern States does sell it.

Thank you, past "post". Also, there's a product from "ortho" it has the word "demon" in it. That also works. Active Ingredient: Bifenthrim.

I sprayed talstarP over everything: real wood siding, cracks, gaps, screens, wood flooring etc. Kills bugs dead. Good product.

Easy to use, but you must purchase a sprayer, and any type of sprayer will work. Don't use a little spray bottle, too small. Get yourself a sprayer at least 1.5 gallons (not too heavy). I used 10 gallons of solution (it's concentrated so you add water).

It should last for months, as long as there is no rain.

I've even sprayed my entire truck, under the engine, tires and door jambs!

Walk away after you spray. Return and see all the dead bugs.

Remember, they are trying to find hiding spots to rest for the winter, so spray in cracks for sure. Attics too.

SBs have an "antifreeze" like body. They don't die over winter. they come back, and have babies next year.

Use Talstar or another product with Bifenthrin will work! Scream it from the roof tops!

Good news for all! Thank you.

sunny1

Please somebody, offer some help. i have posted here twice i am in a log home. i have tried everything. The raid fumigators helped but now they seemed to have returned with a vengeance, i have spent days, really days, trying to keep ahead of these guys they are a mess disgusting and i have them everywhere, including in our closets, clothes and between the mattresses.

i hope every politician has these in their homes and offices, because otherwise we will get no help!

this is more than a nuisance; it is a plague.

by the way, if you don't get them up quickly after they die they stink (decay?) then, too! I am desperate and being driven mad.

anon117242

I live near Lynchburg VA. We spend much time with shop vac in hand, going from door to door, inside and out, like most of the others who've posted.I have learned some hints to try, and truly appreciate the humor in many postings. It makes this horrible invasion a little easier to take. By the way, where can one purchase napalm?

anon117190

#79 Yes, bug zappers work, however they do stink as they burn. The vacuum has worked well and they seem to die inside from the mechanics of it. I am going to try the soapy water for the front door which is where they gather on the screen. This is maddening and yet until this year I had never even heard of them. By the way,I am in Fairfax, VA!

I guess the government will do something when some elite Congressmen or Senators get infested in their houses in Great Falls or McLean!

anon116709

We live in a log home in Central Virginia and I dread the warm fall days because I know that the bugs will be in each room by the hundreds. One trick that we have found in killing them in the vacuum cleaner bag is to vacuum up a bit of Sevin dust --this kills all of the ones that are in the bag.

We used insecticide low residue bombs (three separate sessions in one day) and killed thousands. But they were so thick on the floor that we could only sweep them up before we could walk. Good luck!

anon115826

Use Talstar P - it works. I got some from Southern States.

anon115344

Loudoun County.VA "violated truck". I agree with post 131.

Chloride would work but has been taken off the market!

When mixing chemicals and/or ingredients together, do be careful. Pesticide poisoning is deadly at worst, and at the minimum you can become terribly ill! There are long term effects.

I agree that many posts are from the "general population" but feel this is harmless, and a good way to communicate and share issues.

As long as all are not mixing chemicals together with little to no knowledge, all should be fine.

Please be careful of pesticide poisoning. Organophosphate poisoning can be deadly. If not familiar with chemicals, do not experiment.

Take care and good luck in the war on the SBs!

Most suggestions here are not threatening to humans.

anon114756

They don't like citronella. I put a lit citronella candle in a room that has stink bugs on the outer screen and they move away and/or drop off the screen.

anon114437

Come on people, powdered borax in a solution of warm water to spray for them, dust around doors and windows. Any ant and roach killer is also good at stopping them dead within about 30 seconds of direct contact. It's up to you to determine what you think is safe for you or your children and in/around your home. If you think it's bad for you, don't use it, but there's a ton of products out there that will kill these things.

I've been testing lots of stuff, and most of these things everyone has laying around somewhere, some things I've used I know are not available at the local wally world. I just hit one with a little methylene chloride and I'm sure he regrets coming close to me now. Get creative but use this stuff safely. MC will burn you horribly!

Wear nitrile gloves when handling and using anything that you're going to use to kill them. My next experiment, since they're attracted to terpenes, is a can of turpentine in a 2.5 gal bucket to see if I can drown a bunch.

My best advice is to find some scientific articles instead of listening to a bunch of people on message boards to get the real facts on the bugs first. I've seen a lot of posts on this page that aren't factually correct. Happy hunting!

anon114409

My roosters have been hanging around the house picking the stink bugs off and eating them. Good use for roosters. and it seems the bugs overwinter behind pictures, behind furniture, I have even found them in calendars. I use the calendars as stink bug traps.

anon114363

I accidentally found an inexpensive, surefire way to kill these nasty little things, and have been infinitely more comfortable ever since.

While spraying my deck area for mosquitoes, I couldn't help but notice the effect the spray had on the stink bugs.(I was using Cutter Bug Free Backyard Fogger). I then took the fogger and gave a tiny spritz directly on one of the buggers, to find it died within a minute, without releasing it's foul odor. I then proceeded to spritz each SB as they landed on my house, and voila! They stopped coming into my home, and after doing this several times, they even stopped landing on my house.

This really works! All of my friends and family have achieved great success with this method. Tedd from N.J.

anon114326

One last comment: if you haven't seen it already, there was a big article on SBs in the New York Times recently called "Move Over Bedbugs, Stinkbugs Have Landed". I know we're all grossed out fighting them on the home front, but you really have to feel for the farmers whose crops and livelihood are being severely eroded by these guys.

Seems there is one predator of these stink bugs which, the article says, first made an appearance in America in Allentown, PA in 1998. The one predator is a parasitic stinging wasp found only in Asia where the bugs originated and it can't be imported to the US without years of quarantine and testing. The USDA's budget for research seems absurdly small considering the magnitude of the problem and the cost to farmers.

But it's evident that these "brown marmorated stink bugs" are making a lot of noise on the newsworthy annoyance scale (not unlike the bedbugs) so perhaps we'll see some more funds heading toward the research that's needed.

Seems to me, based on how attractive the SBs find the smell of other SBs that traps - possibly laced with pesticide - might be the way to go for homeowners at least.

anon114252

stink bugs... i own a small pest company in virginia, and i get the frantic calls of frightened home owners at least five times a day. I wish the epa would bring back chlordane. That product killed every insect around. Our environment is already ruined so what could chlordane do any worse?

anon114220

We have a twenty five foot travel trailer in storage.

We went to show it to our relatives and found the critters crawling through every crack, orifice and the even air conditioner vents.

I am going to use the Hot Shot idea to bomb the crap out of them and follow up with a battery powered and probably disposable shop vac. Maybe I'll set it out in the woods to overwinter until next year. Great advice folks- much appreciated.

Any ideas on neutralizing that wonderful aroma? Better yet anyone in the market for a cheap T.T. in Valley Forge P.A.?

anon114192

Try using hot pepper juice-water tea like solvent, mixed with Palmolive green soap mixture. It shouldn't hurt vegetation, but be careful not to get it in your eyes. Or, spray it all over. However it takes a certain amount of each and how much you use. i got rid of all sorts of vermin, including wood chucks,really! Jim R., Newburyport, Massachusetts

anon114165

@110: I know what you mean one landed on my face before I could swat the SOB off it secreted a liquid that burned like hell. After I swatted and stomped it I ran in and washed the spot. Luckily it didn't leave a mark. I thought "great now they're fighting back LOL" so whatever it put on my face was probably the same thing that went in your eye and I can't imagine how that must have felt.

anon114125

Post: 121, asks how to keep out of door ways/jams.

I'm here again, "violated truck".

I had mentioned I have very few in my home. I used various strong oils, rosemary, lavender, mint etc., and rubbed oil on all door jams and molding. It seems to work.

I have had thousands in the garage, which we use as the main entrance into our home. But once at the door, there are no SBs. Not sure why, but it seems to work.

Horribly strong smelly oils. I do not think they can "crawl" on oily objects, or it weighs their little feet down. I'm thinking they don't like certain smells too.

They do not seem to like lavender especially, or tobacco/nicotine smells. But too much tobacco is a nasty smell.

Again, oil, oil, oil. This inhibits them from being able to "stick" to walls, and door jams.

The cleaners (truck) used oil into all jams and window molding. Maybe they know something about it, my truck is good to go. Hundreds were in it!

anon113953

After keeping up with all these comments plus looking at other sites on the web, I decided to do serious battle with the buggies this morning and took a three pronged assault. My infestation is on my screened-in back porch.

My original approach was to use the soapy water and jar strategy which works 100 percent of the time. However, I was totally grossed out by the huge numbers of bugs and I find the smell nauseating.

I moved on to the spray soap and water trick next but didn't get much more than a lot of very clean but still lively stink bugs, so I tried neem oil in water today. Used a pump sprayer and soaked my back porch with almost a gallon of the stuff. Then it was off to Lowes for a cheap shop vac.

By the time I got home again, about 80 percent of the stink bugs were dead with the remainder still very much alive and marching up the screens. After a little experimentation with the soapy water at the bottom of the vacuum blowing bubbles out the back end, I resorted to household cleaner instead to keep the bubbles down. I found it so much nicer sucking them up the tube instead of dropping them into the glass. Within an hour, I had no bugs left and all the guys in the vacuum were dead, so over the back fence they went.

I intend to follow this up with the food-grade diatomaceous earth pumped into all the cracks where they may still be hiding and I'll keep up with my new snappy little vacuum.

Thanks to all for the great comments. We have them all over our neighborhood so it's really good to know how to keep them under control. The cooler weather should help keep the numbers down, but I'll be ready for them come next spring! By the way, I'm in central North Carolina.

anon113925

Great article! Good to know how and where they breed.

For inside, the Dawn idea is excellent! Put a couple squirts in about an inch of water in the bottom of a shop vac. Water does not need to be hot. The bugs seem to be dead in less than 10 minutes, so you can just pour them out.

Outside, look for gaps in window and door frame corners and around molding. Use "Great Stuff" foam sealant or caulk, and check rubber seal around doors and window sash. I have them in my downspouts, so I'm plugging and filling those with soapy water for a few minutes.

Anyone have a way to keep them from just hanging around doors?

anon113893

Loudon County, Virginia. I'm the one whose truck was "violated".

Bites from SBI believe might not really be a bite. I believe that you have "crunched" them, and their "armor" cut your skin. I sat on one once on the lawnmower, thought my butt was burning. I did smell..the dreaded smell. Thought I was bit. Took mirror, and looked more like a slice, and have to think when I sat on it, I smashed it. Entomologist, could this be correct? Their spray will cause skin rash,irritation/burning. Yes, I agree.

As the cool weather approaches, we relax: out of sight, out of mind. As I mentioned before, I treated the inside of my house last fall, and have been very lucky on the inside. (real wood house) and covered with thousands on the outside.

Today, although it's cool, the bugs are still here, abd moving slowly due to cooler weather. My 15 year old son had come up with an idea. It works, too!

We took mason jars, put alcohol in them (it's old and was in cabinet). We walked up to them from the screen room and approached them as they clung to screen, and yes they do "drop" into the jar, just like the liquid soap. The most interesting thing was that the jam pretty much "ate" them. They died quickly and bodies were damaged. Almost like putting a lobster into unsalted water (gross, leave it at that).

The History Channel had a special on today about how "hillbillies" came to be. One interesting thing came to mind. Moonshine! :) Not for consumption, but bug infestation. So, 15 year old son, has scientific experiment. Again, not for consumption for humans.

So now we know: alcohol also kills them. Wonder what it does to a human's gut?

Away, if you can stand the smell, it works. We are trying everything/anything.

Also, it's about time to get into attic and above garages. Don't forget. Will try new fuming suggested below. Also, my sister in Hanover City, VA, has SB under her porch, and she is unable to "get them", so next year will be very bad for her. "Think like a bug", and you'll be able to kill more and protect your sanity and home for next year.

The average SB can live three years and breed two times.

Horrible issue for agriculture. My heart goes out to anyone that lives off their land and suffers this financial loss, due to the SB.

Since we all are sharing, let's share in the joy of the demise of this horrid bug. I forgot how the movie "The Birds" ended?

Anyone on this site, will most likely revisit next summer. Keep researching through fall/winter, get bold and aggressive to help yourself next year. I'm sure I'll be here.

PS: I did not plant a garden this year due to SB. First time without garden in 20 years.

Thank you WiseGeek for having us. It truly has helped all share to experiment or not feel alone in this battle, creating much support.

anon113868

There is no end to the invasion. I have not been able to sit on my porch or even turn off the air-conditioning to open sliders as they are all over the screen door. It's time to let the government undo the bans on the chemicals and spray. Am here in N.J. just for the record.

anon113856

Dish detergent and hot water in a spray bottle works great! I personally spray them right in the face!

anon113847

I considered napalm but my insurance agent tells me they would consider that arson and would not pay to rebuild the house, and apparently the local government has put up a burning ban because of the dryness and fire danger. Guess I'll just have to try the soap water washing of the house.

One bright point after visiting a friend in MD, I realized their problem is worse then PA. My sympathies to all my fellow combatants.

anon113841

I find EcoSMART organic insecticide available at Home Depot works by killing the stink bugs on contact after a few minutes. The insecticide's strong fragrance hopefully will mask the bugs' scent. That is used for navigation as they make their way back to our homes. You may need to spray a few times, but it kills them.

The active ingredient, Phenethyl Propionate, is not considered toxic by EPA and is approved by FDA is a food additive! I am using the insecticide inside and outside my home. You need to spray the exterior walls, windows and roof as well as the trees near your home. Will probably take a few applications as more bugs show up. Good luck.

anon113826

The government is missing the boat here! These bugs are indestructible! One of our military scientists needs to reverse engineer one and design a new tank based on its design. They could also be sent to hostile countries fitted with intelligence gathering chips. None of our current enemies use soap and water, so they will be safe.

anon113804

Looks like I won the the battle - not sure if I won the war. Spent much of the morning trying to rid my shed of these bugs. My shed was infested. I put a little bleach, dawn dish detergent and water in my shop vac and vacuumed as many stink bugs as I could. Seemed like I was losing the battle because the more bugs I vacuumed, the more bugs showed up.

I went to Home Depot and purchased a fogger by Hot Shot (green box) - three cans for about five bucks. Per the instructions, one can covers about 2000 sq ft. Closed the window and door to my shed, opened one can and left. Came back in about an hour, and my floor was covered with dead bugs. This fogger worked like a champ. There were zero bugs in my shed.

I can't get too excited because I don't know how long this will last but at least I was able to rid my shed of these creatures - at least temporarily. I would only use this approach if you are infested.

anon113764

I have a weak nose, and I haven't squashed more than one, and that was months ago, when I only had one. I've swatted them away on 10 or 20 occasions and never smelled anything.

But the number started increasing, and I was ignoring them, figuring they'd go away like ants and even flies do, until I read that they don't have a set time for dying and they can live inside all winter.

So I looked online and today I put a quart or two of water in my small shop vac and some dish soap until it bubbled when sloshed, and went vacuuming. They're not hard to get, especially on the window screen, and all told, I got about 45.

They don't take much evasive action. The ones on the curtains are hard because the vac sucks the curtain in, but shaking the curtain makes them fall off and go to the window or land on the window sill. The ones in the ceiling fixture are impossible until they decide to walk around the glass shade. Then I pick em off one at a time. I got all four and later three more.

When done each time I plugged up the vac so they don't come out the hose they went in. I don't know if they can make it out the vents, or if the soapy water will kill them, or if they will hang on to the

top and not fall in the water.

I got most on the first try, and went back three more times for a few more more, including on the ceiling fixture. They're almost entirely in one room.

I'm not going to open the vac until I'm outside, in case they are alive. And then I'll pour them out dead or alive.

Of all the suggestions I read on the net, mostly this page, this seems the best.

Other probably good ones where using the hand held battery vac, or a spray bottle with soapy water, but I gave away my mother's portable vac after she died and in 10 years, this is the first time I've had any desire to have one, and with the spray bottle, you still have to pick them up.

A vacuum with a hose seems like the right thing, and a shop vac can hold soapy water in the bottom.

anon113762

i just want to know how no. 77 knows that he/she has killed exactly 324 of them?

anon113761

Two days ago, I swatted one of the disgusting bugs off my kitchen cabinets. Why do they always fly for your head? It flew straight into my eye! I anticipated the burn. I didn't expect it to feel like red hot pokers in my eye though! I immediately ran to the bathroom sink to wash my eye. The pain was like pepper spray and was very long lasting.

I've had an ice pack on my eye for two days. It swelled up and feels like a bad sunburn now. These things are nasty and, believe me, they can cause some medical concerns.

anon113744

I live in Upper Montgomery County in MD. SBs are horrible. I've found 'Sun & Earth' all purpose cleaner to be very effective and it smells nice with a citrus scent. I open my window with mesh screen and wait for these bugs to gather. Close the window, spray Sun & Earth and voila! They are dead less in than 20 seconds. I probably kill more than 300 per day. It is sad that I have to do this but one less stinkbug is probably two less in the future.

anon113742

A+++++ On the Dawn and hot water.

anon113734

I have found that Hot Shot defogger (with odor neutralizer) does kill them. The only thing with that is you have to remove all pets and people from the home for about two hours first, then someone has to go in and open all the doors and windows to air out the house before you can finally come in for the day, only to have to clean the SB's up. And truthfully, sweeping them up with a broom is best to keep the smell from spreading like it does in a vacuum.

You can either flush them so that there is no smell for other ones to find or take them outside to a place away from your house in a baggie as others have said and dispose of it on trash day or bury them, You also do have to spray your home off outside with a deterrent such as Talstar to keep them from coming back.

Sealing all places they can enter is a good plan but inevitably you will miss places. You just need to be diligent about keeping ahead of them before they have you being committed to the looney bin.

anon113722

I'm going to try the dish soap and if it works I'm going to fill my son's super soaker and go out and tell those stinky little monsters, "Meet my little friend!"

anon113721

"I love the smell of napalm in the morning." LOL. It may be the only thing that can kill them and it smells a lot better.

anon113704

Looks like the USDA, according to the Baltimore Sun, is going to do something about stink bugs, but it may be geared toward crops. I just wrote the Governor of Md and the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) via email. I urge you all to do the same, no matter what state you live in. We live in a wooded area - it used to be beautiful, where you could sit on your deck, open the windows, have my grandson play ball outside. No longer.

We have spent hundreds of dollars and nothing helps, unless you have pest control at your home every other day to spray from roof top to ground. There are so many, at least three times more than last year. I can't keep up with them --my husband and I fight all the time because I won't allow him to open a window. You would not believe how bad this would be. It's all I can get done - as now all I do is look for bugs to kill.

I can no longer be comfortable in my own home, which stinks so badly. How embarrassing if you want to invite someone to your home. You have to dodge your way in the door or better yet, sweep them away from our door before we can even go in, let alone out.

I read about the detergent, the oils, etc., but honestly, if you lived where I do - it truly is a moot point. The government needs to come into the mountains and hillsides first to kill them off while they breed there, before they then return to your car, home, purse, wherever to find refuge for the fall/winter. Then they need to give homeowners insurance companies the right to have professional exterminators come into their homes, from attic, loft, to crawl space and do whatever is necessary to kill them.

Please, please, all of you, write the EPA, write your senator or governor where you live. I live on the mason-dixon line of MD&PA which is Washington Co/Franklin Co. If you know anyone who lives in this area, you know that I do not exaggerate.

anon113691

So today i had enough. i set out raid fumigators (the kind you drop in H2O). Let me tell you: be prepared for the most gross thing you have ever seen. The stink bugs are so thick you cannot walk.

I posted before that we are in a log home and it didn't kill them all yet, but this with the talstar i think will help control them.

for all you out there who think you only have a few, try this and you will be shocked. This is going to take a military approach to kill up. It is unbelievable how many there are, which leads me to believe they are a health hazard.

To the entomologist: get them inside your clothing or bedding and you will get bit.

anon113685

i hate stink bugs. they are sneaky and have bodies as impenetrable as tanks! most of all i hate it when they buzz near me and scare me half to death.

anon113683

garlic doesn't work, though there are no vampires around our house. I am using handy oreck green vac outside and have heard mothballs can also work.

anon113659

Make sure that you completely spray off the exterior of your homes with a hose (I just used an ordinary garden hose), after you've seen stink bugs. I recently sprayed around all of the windows, doors, etc., and this has dramatically decreased the infestation of these 'little critters'! My guess is that this helps to reduce whatever chemical trail that they leave behind.

anon113658

I'm trying Dawn. First I spray all the cracks and crevices I can see with wasp and hornet killer. They don't like it but it doesn't seem to kill them. It drives them out where I can hit them with Dawn as they emerge. They drop like they were pole axed but I'm so busy spraying them with Dawn, I don't have time to observe them to see if they die. When I do have time, they are gone. I think they carry their dead away or something.

anon113657

The Ziploc bag with soapy water works great. The easiest way to capture the bugs is to nudge them into a paper cup with a plastic spoon. Then dump them from the cup into the soapy water. No stench in this procedure. I'm sure a shop vac with soapy water in the bottom would be best, and worth the investment if the infestation is overwhelming.

anon113601

My undying love and support to the person who figured out ultra dish detergent and water in a spray bottle kills these retarded bugs. These things are more annoying than my in laws, only I can't kill them. This really works, folks. Give it a try. I'm arming my 9 year old with his own personal bottle today and it is game on!

anon113553

I use a small shop vac with a few inches of water and Dawn in the bottom. Vacuum as often as you need to.

anon113542

Fyi: Stink bugs do not bite or sting. ask any entomologist, namely me.

anon113501

dish soap and water made into a soapy solution works great. i used dawn and my god, stink bug dead in 30 seconds. this works like a charm.

anon113498

Dawn dish soap added to hot water in a spray bottle gets them good and kills then instantly. after they turn up on the stomach blast them on good with the soapy water solution. it works like a charm. i just tried it today and it works.

anon113494

I am so grossed out! I had gotten all the stink bugs out of my house (I thought) but looked behind two large pictures beside my front door and there were at least 200 in clusters on the back of the pictures and wall! I live in Roanoke Virginia. Oh God, this makes me sick!

anon113481

I doubt Osage Orange a.k.a. Hedge Apples will do anything. I've heard other solutions that claim to work, dish soap and water, insecticidal soap, vinegar and water, white vinegar,citrus acid, etc.

We've just been using raid ant and roach killer combined with vacuuming them up in the shop vac. We line the shop vac with a plastic leaf bag first. We get over 100 per day in our gazebo, and just vacuum every night.

anon113471

I've heard diatomaceous earth works better than neem oil if you're looking for something organic to spray in the garden or in the home. I have not tried it, but it seems to be gaining a reputation as a stink bug killer. Neem oil does not work well.

For treating the outside of your house with pesticides, you'll want to look for permethrin or cypermethrin. You mix this with water in a sprayer and coat your home with it as best as you can, focusing on areas of entry for stink bugs. This needs to be done end of summer/early fall when they start moving into the house.

For treating inside, you can use a permethrin as well, but there are better things such as baygon aerosol and deltamethrin dust. Do this after you have treated the outside of your home. You may have to do this regularly to make sure you're getting rid of anything looking to hibernate in your home. It takes some patience.

The idea of trying to coexist with pests and simply allowing them to invade your life is absurd. These creatures are of no benefit to the ecosystem and they're not even native to the area. If a bus full of human beings showed up at your house and started eating your food, wearing your clothes and sleeping in your bed, would you just let that go? No, you'd find a way to get rid of them.

anon113422

Central Penna here. Also stink bug invaded! I tried the Dawn liquid and water in a sprayer and it either killed them or made one awful sick. Then I found one in our garage and just happened to see a new bottle of dog shampoo my wife had just bought.

I mixed a bit of water with it and gave that bug a taste and then put him under a plastic like glass. I lifted it in like a minute to make sure it didn't just crawl up the inside of the glass and it was deader than could be! So dish liquid or for sure a dog shampoo. Not even flea and tick but it sure did the right thing!

They are invasive and they are capable of a nasty bite. One bit my back while I was sleeping and I thought it was a VietNam fire ant! It was a stink bug!

So, not to scare anyone, but you need to watch your linens, etc. and become proactive. A spray bottle and and a liquid soap seems to kill them. Try the mixture and watch what it does. When it does the job, give 'em heck! No bug is that death defiant and can be controlled.

anon113421

I combined the ziploc and soapy water solution together. I filled third of a medium size ziplock with highly concentrated dish soap and water solution.

Now I just go around the house and nudge them gently with the edge of the open zip lock bag, most of the time the fall in. Once they hit the water they don't come out so keeping the bag open isn't a problem. The bag does stink a bit so I would double bag it when done or between hunting sessions.

anon113419

Thanks to everyone for the wonderful tips and even better comments! I agree with the others before me: the comments made this infestation much more bearable!

anon113397

I live in suitland Md and they are swarming in plagues. All you can do is seal everything and kill the ones you see. I just flush them but I still don't want to be that close to them even through a paper towel. I will try the soapy water, we really need govt help.

They aren't getting better, the population of them will soon be out of control leaving many homes and business smelling like urine.

anon113369

Loudoun County, Virginia. Horrible issues with SBs, yesterday SB in truck, newer truck! Had truck removed and cleaned professional! I've tried all products available, nothing is forever other than SBs. I'm at my wits' end, and think a small sterile white padded room, might be nice at this time. LOL

I've vacuumed, spray, burned (almost the house), and couldn't push car off cliff, because I've complained too much.

Okay, we know a few places are in research phase. That means we're behind the eight-ball. So, it's up to us in killing with any method and we need to share.

Again, I've tried every method.

Here's what I overlooked: Lingering smell, which only attracts. Once burnt with lighter fluid on driveway, next morning tons of bugs around the "burn" spot. yes, gross, but we have to remember, they are attracted to their smell.

When doing the bucket or water tank in garages with light, the bugs are flying into bucket, it becomes full because it's attracting. Now I have 1,000s in my garage.

Vacuums, I've purchased two stink bug vacuums. Once used, you'll see SB want to be near vacuum.

Strong scented oils, Mint,Rosemary,Basil, and Lavender, they hate those smells. Buy that stuff, get it cheap so you have gallons!

I knew from last year it would be worse, but couldn't imagine this. Good note, I have few in the house this year. I treated all door frames/window frames and screens with lavender/rosemary etc. oils, they don't like it for some reason. Again, I have few in home, however 1,000's outside.

I have a wood house and lots of cracks etc. Anyone remember the movie "The Birds"?

Now, the worst case scenario, and I think this is happening. For those, like me, fighting them daily as they "omit" spray into the air. Guess what: you start smelling like them. No kidding!

So, now you the enemy, need to shower immediately after fighting SBs, because now, they smell you and fly right to you. Use a strong smell, scents above, Tea Tree, really strong smells. Don't allow their smell to stay on you.

It is impossible to seal every crack etc., in home and vehicles etc, so you must be vigilant in killing them.

The question is, once you have dead SBs what do you do with them, due to the smell and attracting others. We are now digging holes, no not insane, and putting dead bugs into ground. Cover the ground with cheap cooking oil, and if you really want to be mean, get a torch in the middle of day, and burn the SBs that crawl over the covered burial plot.

I've done as much research if not more, hubby is research scientist, as of now, it's up to us!

Anything you purchase, do it cheap, you will need much supply.

And remember, get rid of the smell. Think about everywhere they have released smell, you are most likely screaming for them to "come hither".

I've purchased two small shop vacs. you can put water in those. Makes clean up easier when putting them to "rest". Also, once the vac is empty, clean with lavender scented cleaner, those dollar stores supply them, it's cheap. Don't keep the bugs in vacuums.

Nicotine sprays work, but Lord, it can make you sick too, and I smoke! Gross smell. Smells that are strong! Unable to spray 1,000s of SB at one time, no one can.

But what we can do is work on eliminating the smell once we capture/kill them.

I think some of us have overlooked this, I admit to that, but hubby suggested this may be another problem we are overlooking.

Take care. The war is on! Defeat only.

Mamachka

We have two beautiful and very large green and brown spiders living outside out kitchen window and they hate these stinky bugs so much that they'll actually throw them out of their webs instead of dining on them! Does anyone know if Diatomaceous Earth works on them? Meantime, I'll definitely use the soapy water and quit killing them inside without that protection against the smell.

anon113363

Talstar can be purchased online for around $38. It states on the container that it kills over 75 bugs including stinky bugs.

anon113333

i live in maryland, and we have had stinkbugs for at least two years now. last year they were bad, but this year we are seriously infested. i live in a historic log home, and we are in the mountains, surrounded by trees, and my screened in porch has thousands of them.

i use a shop vac on them and i spend hours sucking them up, and within an hour, it looks like i did nothing, new ones keep coming. i can't enjoy my house. They are all over the siding, my garage is infested, and i can't even open my windows. i am ready to relocate. something needs to be done. i feel like i am in prison!

anon113332

If I put a huge bucket of water and dish liquid out on my deck, will that attract them and drown them? I can't stand it and I'm stressed out and a heart attack is on the way. Do bug zappers work?

anon113317

I am a veterinary technician and all I have to say is kill these things! They serve no purpose. And quite frankly they are a blight on society.

anon113306

I live in western Maryland (allegheny county) and I have been fighting these stink bugs for a couple of weeks. I removed 324 from my bedroom drapes one morning before work. I have had success with liquid soap mixtures but I cannot spend hours each day fighting them. Southern states swears by Talstar but they are always out with more to come on Thursday and Thursday never comes.

I think I'm going to try the electric fly swatter inside and spray the exterior of my home and surrounding area with some chemical spray that is reported to work.

anon113277

OK, so now I am laughing so hard I'm crying! I love these comments. I've been invaded and was looking for help and stumbled on this website. I was so stressed by these creatures and I can now say my stress level is way down. Thank you all for your wonderful comments and stories.

Whether I kill them or not, whether I find a solution here it just doesn't matter anymore - at this point I just really feel so much better. Though I think I will try the Dawn and water.

anon113268

anon: i am a kentucky boy, and a hedge apple tree is actually an "osage orange" tree. sorry about the spelling, but they are the green balls about the size of a grapefruit. normally the grow around the perimeter of a farm consequently forming a type of hedge. thus hedge apples.

anon113249

they are all up in my windows and they never go away! hours spent vacuuming them all up and nothing seems to work.

anon113201

I think they are republican spawn. just when you think you got rid of them they come back and stink more than ever. I've been using Orthos home defense max. it doesn t kill them right away but it seems to do the job by the the number of dead ones I find below my screens in the morning, but it's like holding back the tide with a broom.

anon113174

i live in maryland and the stinkbugs are starting to get out of control here too, this year. i heard a rumor that hedge apples act as a natural repellent to stink bugs. Apparently they don't like the smell and will not come near homes with hedge apples planted nearby. Does anyone know what hedge apples are, where they might be purchased, and if there is any truth to this theory?

anon113122

To Scott in Round Hill VA: My name is Mary and I also live in Round Hill! We may be the HQ for these rotten, stinkin' beasties! My neighbor told me yesterday about mixing Dawn dish detergent and water in a sprayer and letting 'em have it.

I used Joy (all I had at home at the time) and used an empty left over spray cleaner bottle. Ahhh, did it ever work! Corpses all over the place. I'm examining to see if the residue will repel them but no evidence of it yet.

A neighbor lives in a pre-civil war house so is spraying entire outside with mixture and heavy-duty hose sprayer. Hope this helps all of us! Onward we march, sprayers at hand!

anon113072

I am so thankful that I do not have a stink bug problem in my home! However, my friend, while visiting her today, when entering her home I was flabbergasted to see tons of these stink bugs in every room! She is going nuts and has no clue what to do.

I told her that I was going to investigate these bugs. I have learned much researching this and other websites and what a huge job she has to endure, face and work on to rid of them. I think everyone who has posted their remedies here are wonderful, caring, and helpful people and I am going to show my friend this site.

Extremely disturbing to me and what made me angry was one site that has compelled me to just open my mouth because I can't let how I feel about this guy go without my two cents! All these posts are about people helping each other, sharing empathy and really hoping their remedy will help someone with no expectations or trying to exploit others.

anon113059

Has anyone tried napalm?

IHeartGeeks

So ever since last year when I went to get my new bandanna off the shelf and started to unfold it and found a colony of them all nestled together, these bugs have been my arch enemies! It scared me so much and I threw it on my bed and yelled for help. They were all over it!

Now a year latter it's like they know where I live and want to come back to haunt me for killing their little friends! I can't do anything without seeing one, smelling one, or hearing the annoying and obnoxious sound of their wings! I hope you all get through this and don't worry, you will -- eventually.

anon112958

we live in a log home so sealing every nook and cranny is just not possible, plus let's be real: are we all going to close our homes up and live with heat and a/c every day?

please help use find a solution, keeping in mind we may have children or pets. please also keep in mind these bugs are invasive beyond belief. Finding them in your sheets, towels and clothes in not fun at all, so please share solutions that can be used large scale because that is how we must attack.

By the way, we have been the exterminator route too. Lots of money with no results so don't let them fool you!

anon112951

I live in Eastern Kentucky and these creatures are getting into my home. I just found out today what they were after researching them. Regular ant and roach sprays do not work, directly sprayed on them. I would die if these things invaded my home like roaches do, which I have never had.

I don't want anything inside my home putting any stink inside it or to get on me while trying to kill them off. I also have animals, two little spoiled house dogs that do not go outside. They use pads inside and are trained to them. Does anyone know the harm to my pets?

I am not as concerned about me, but my home and pets concern me. My little ones are like my children.

I have a small opening near my french doors on my back upper deck to outside. I saw them coming in there and I have put out the soapy water hoping that they will get into it and die. I am going to try this first and I am also going to do some outside stuff to close off the holes and winterize some to prevent them from coming inside this winter.

anon112943

After collecting and flushing over 600 today alone in my older home, I was fed up. Found this site while searching for possible new controls. I didn't find the chemical bomb solution I was hoping for to relieve me of these disgusting invasive pests, but I laughed out loud reading the posts. "To arms, to arms!" hahaha At least I am smiling a huge smile now.

anon112922

They are everywhere. The invasion of the stink bugs, by the thousands, and I am not exaggerating. Someone gave me a recipe thought I would share.

Make a spray:

1 quart vinegar

3 quarts water

1 cup borax

do not spray on painted wood. Spray around outside foundation.

I am going to try it. Good luck to all.

anon112905

I was determined to try everything under my sink to kill these SOBs. I found that spraying them with carpet cleaner foam or something like Scrubbing Bubbles for the bathroom kills them fast. You can buy these in the dollar store so they are cheaper than chemicals for pests. And they smell good.

anon112808

Re: living in peace with stinkbugs: Go back to basic biology. Bugs do not feel pain like humans! I agree with other posters - if you want them to live in peace with you I'll ship the hundreds I have to you!

anon112584

@Anon76868: I'd rather be stung by a bee than have one of these unwelcome bugs put their stink on me while "carrying it outside". They are not harmless. They cause me great stress by offending my sense of smell, which in the long run could shorten my life.

I would have no problem with every one of these things dying and the species disappearing forever. You're taking your love of life to an extreme in suggesting coexistence with stink bugs. BTW: You don't shower, or wash you hands or take antibiotics, do you? Because you'd then be coming back to life as a bacteria.

anon112403

The heck with peace, love and harmony. Get a grip. These are invasive insects and they are not welcome on or in my home. When my children cannot get a peaceful, full night's sleep because of them, they need to die.

I have wasted hundreds of dollars with a professional and still have swarms of them on my home and coming in. Someone please help? I am willing to try anything at this point. Two years of this and I have had enough. Any advice will be helpful.

anon112294

I saw a very informative article. It seems that these bugs will come back to your house if they have infested it once. It might take a year or two to get rid of them if you treat your house. I saw somewhere that a product called 'Baygon'

will kill them.

anon112293

Wish I could figure out how to get rid of these bugs they are driving me crazy! I've been spraying them with wasp and hornet spray as well as ant spray and they will not die. I think I will try the soapy water in a jar trick I read about.

anon112266

92231 is right. this is war. it is us or them. in the long run they will be here long after man is gone, just like the roaches. kill the crunchy, stinky monsters.

anon112177

I bought a canister vacuum from Walmart with a long pole. I have sucked up hundreds of them off of my house so that will not come down my chimney when it gets cold. So far so good, because this is the first year that I have had minimal getting into my house. Suck them up from outside before they come inside.

anon111497

today I opted to use three inch clear tape around my seldom used exterior storm doors sealing all of the access holes then sprayed the around outside windows with max defense bug spray.

For the bugs inside, I took a yard stick and attached very wide sticky duct tape

and wrapped it on the end of the stick. It is effective, safe and easy to reach to collect the bugs that are inside without getting out the step stool. When the tape is full fold it over and toss it. The

other end of the yard stick is great to push the bugs out of hard to get places and then catch them with the other end with the tape! It's great revenge. They don't emit the stink after using the tape. Try it! Save your vacuum bags and water. This is easy, simple and very effective.

anon111031

I have tons of them too, on the outside of my home, which is mostly glass walls. hey love my large glass sliding doors and windows. When the sun is shining they swarm keeping warm.

I have cut off a milk carton, filled 1/2 way with water and add palmolive green detergent. It kills them immediately (also works for fleas). I then dump them in the woods. Flushing the toilet is way to wasteful living on a septic with public water.

Funny thing, I approach them with my container under where they are sitting and they jump in! I have found that they have nested in the framework of our sliding screens and can hear they drop when I slam them. My little garden wrens look very interested too. Good luck and remember the environment!

anon110382

The jar with a little water and cleanser (Fantastik or dish soap) works great. I place the jar right under the bugs and they fall right in to drown. Put the lid back on quickly to keep the smell inside the jar. I've easily killed 50-60 in one jar in ten minutes.

anon110129

In Roanoke, Va here: Have the same problem in my house and parents home. Found a nice way to catch and kill them without them leaving scent markers. Get a big old empty plastic bottle. fill halfway with water and dish detergent. when you see a bug (most of the time find them on the ceiling) catch them inside the bottle. they drown in the soapy water and the scent of the dish detergent helps to cover their stink after about 20-40 caught throw the bottle away.

Also, with the screens on the windows, go out and purchase some white or gray duct tape and tape the edges of the screens to prevent them from squeezing their way through the edges.

Also, at my parents house there is a tube for the laundry air to be expelled outside. make a cap and use screen to keep them from crawling in. so far we've had only a few bugs get in when we opened the back door, but it helped keep most of them outside.

anon109272

soapy water will kill a stink bug in about 30 seconds.

anon108067

I live in Central NJ. I noticed these bugs a few years ago. I hate any bug that is as sturdy and weighty as this thing. Add to it that it buzzes when it flies and we're enemies.

Today I noticed about 10 outside of my window and I had killed about three or four last night. I believe that part of the reason why I have them is because I have one very deep window sill that I have a fallen antenna resting on. That has allowed that area to become a catch-all for leaves, twigs, and other debris. One might say, "Well then open the window, erect the antenna, and get all that crap out of there". But at this point, I don't feel comfortable opening the window. That, I'm sure, is a silly reaction because they are probably having a breed-fest under the antenna.

However, I've got to say that, while I don't know if it's a permanent solution, because I was too busy to run to Home Depot to see if they have anything, I just used Hartz Flea and Tick Repellent for Cats. The bottle is old and I visited the Hartz website to see if this product is still available. I don't see it, but I do see Hartz UltraGuard Plus Flea and Tick Spray for Cats, which might be it's replacement. This is also a flea and tick killer.

It looks for the moment, as if it may be "giving them a problem". What I mean by this is that it appears as if a few flew away a few moments after I sprayed around the screened window and those who came into contact with the spray may have died.

With the descriptions of infestations previously posted, I do not feel as if it's a permanent solution, particularly for home owners and log cabin dwellers who have a ton of them, but I'm too busy to do anything else right now, including have the landlord come in and take care of it.

anon107222

My name is Scott and I live in Round Hill Va. Anybody who thinks living with this kind of infestation of the stink bugs is acceptable, must live in a dream world.

The stink bug is like the cockroach and we need to kill them and not release them so they can multiply. So people, gather up your sprayers and let's kill those nasty bugs. I cannot take it. I live in a old house and we kill about 100 per day. I long for the ladybug look alike.

The old house I live in has more holes in it than a sieve. Attacking from the outside is the only way. I am not able to caulk or seal this many holes. So to arms, to arms!

Like the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines, and let us not forget the Coast Guard. We now need a new branch for fighting the stink bugs. Government funded bug patrol. It is still August and I already have them covering my outside walls.

Today I'll try spraying with the strongest pesticide I am able to buy. Die, you pesty stinking bug!

anon105591

To clean it off your hands use Bon-Ami.

To help keep them away from your home, first clean the exterior with Trisodium Phosphate or a greener version, then, after it is well dried, spray the exterior with 50-50 bleach and if you really want to do it right spray with Talstar: 1 oz-1 gal. I have only had two or three this summer inside and am just starting to re-treat outside.

You have to get rid of the scent that they leave for their buds.

anon103849

I travel for business to warmer states. There were stink bugs on the curtain in my hotel room. I squished it inside a tissue and flushed it down the toilet. I never smelled anything, but each hour one more bug came. I changed rooms and had none. Is it a fallacy that when you kill one, more come? I killed six in a six-hour period and did not smell a thing. Do the bugs smell it and come?

anon97253

They winter over in attics, but they roost on fruit trees. Hire a qualified pest control company that knows how to deal with them. Using "green" products is usually more effective. Power spraying your entire house with Eco Exempt II is highly effective, but surrounding trees and bushes need to be treated as well.

Treat the attic in late september and october. Spray the exterior of the house in spring and summer, along with trees and bushes. They also will roost in an unused chimney, and I have seen them inside wall insulation as well. If this happens, you need to dust all cracks and crevices in the interior of house to kill them before they cross into the house interior rooms.

Good luck and remember a well qualified professional can handle them. If your control company says they cannot, you need to call another one.

anon94468

I spray my tomatoes with a safer soap/neem oil mixture every week and it does a pretty good job. This, accompanied by handpicking and throwing them in a quart plastic container of soapy water (they are helpless once they hit the suds) works great - but you must keep up with them every week!

anon92231

coexist? really? are you people kidding me? kill the stink bugs! I never once heard one scream, beg for mercy or plead for its life. That's what being at the top of the food chain is all about.

If 76868 would kindly provide an address I'd be more than happy to trap them and send them to ya' so they can coexist with you. Otherwise the only effective method is squish on sight. And FYI this is your only go around in life. There is no coming back, and Karma told me to tell you to shut up and she hates being referred to as a witch!

anon89258

They were wiping out my tomatoes, but I found something that kills them! ortho insecticidal soap. And it knocks those huge leaf footed bugs dead also,along with their orange spawn. I hate having to use any kind of spray but when we kept having our garden wiped out by these things, I had to find something!

anon88787

Has anyone tried Neem oil?

anon88263

One of the best products to get rid of stink bugs and Asian beetles (similar to lady bugs) Talstar - sold at Southern States and Agway stores. Costs about $28 a pint - mix one ounce per gallon of water in sprayer. It is odorless and seems to do the job for 4-6 months.

I have used it at our timber frame home in Central VA for three years with excellent results. It is EPA approved for inside and outside use. As always, read the label and follow the instruction frames.

anon87446

My husband mentioned to me that he thought our dogs were relieving themselves on our carpets. I couldn't imagine it but I believed him until I realized that I think he referring to the smell of stinkbugs. I sometimes open a cupboard or enter a room to be overwhelmed by that stinkbug smell.

I'm curious if anyone else has noticed this. Maybe my dogs are taking breaks on our carpets, but I seriously doubt it! And if it's the stinkbugs, why might it be particularly strong sometimes and not at other times?

anon84391

when i see one i get some of my perfume and spray it so it can't fly anymore then i get the windex out and spray them and that works every time for me. so i don't have to deal with their smell and i don't have to touch it or pick it up with something.

anon83588

Wow! These things are like Bush. Even after they're gone they still cause all sorts of pain and grief.

anon82642

I use a 3-4" strip of *good* duct tape, not cheap dollar store stuff. The good stuff is far stickier on contact than the cheap stuff. When I see one I lightly touch the tape to it so it sticks, kind of like fly paper. When it is stuck to the tape I fold the tape over, entombing it (and the stink) forever. Hehehe.

Then I throw it in the garbage, or set it on fire, depending on my level of motivation and anger.

anon81672

These bugs are not that harmless. They may bite, their smelly chemicals are very corrosive, causing burn-like effects, at least on my skin. They drink my house-plants juices, leaving black spots on leaves. They are not my friends.

anon81565

We also live in a log home in PA. We have literally thousands inside the house. We have had the exterminator here three times. Nothing is killing them. When you can't do anything all day except vacuum stink bugs, it's pretty darn bad! Someone has to come up with a solution. Three years of this is just impossible to live with!

anon79081

We live in PA and also have stink bug issues. We used to flush them down the toilet but an extra five - 10 flushes a day has to drive the water bill up. So I have started putting them in a zip-lock bag when I find them. It works flawlessly!

Stink bugs can be easily scooped and don't emit an odor when they die of starvation. Store the bag out of sight when not in use and you can throw it away whenever you feel it is disgusting.

- Jordan

anon77911

Oh my gosh, i have so many stink bugs in my room. i complain to my mom because i don't know where they're coming from. I'm not sure if they're coming from my window, because they get stuck in my window curtains.

One night i counted 30. They're OK, it's just they bug me lol. I had one one time when one hit me in my head while i watched tv,l anded in my blouse between my breasts, made me jump out of bed screaming, holding my blouse out, running to the bathroom to flush it down the toilet lol.

I used to flush them down the toilet, but thought that was mean even know they drive me crazy. Now i catch them in tissue paper and put them outside, but i was wondering if anyone knows if they hate mothballs or anything i can put around my window or where i think they come in so maybe they will stay out.

anon76988

Seal cracks around your windows and doors - caulk - (don't forget the basement windows and hatch way). Any utility wire or piping holes need to be sealed up tightly. No window ac units. Stink bugs will start infesting by the end of the fall.

You may also want to regularly spray your plants and grass with a soap and water solution; it will dehydrate most bugs and kill them without chemicals.

Mesh screen for attic vent/ridge vent

SB's are attracted to light so close drapes at night, turn out porch lights, and etc.

Exterior insecticide quarterly treatments applied in the early fall containing synthetic pyrethroids like deltamethrin or demand cs in attic, where they generally hibernate.

Have the exterminator power spray your house on all four sides from roofline to foundation with a heavy concentration on windows, doors, and chimneys.

People who have done this have been SB free.

anon76868

I find it amusing that we spend so much time trying to figure out how to kill things. Why can't we all just live in peace?

I have found the best way to deal with them is just co-exist or carry them outside. They really don’t hurt anything and usually end up dying somewhere peacefully on their own.

These are creatures who feel pain. Imagine the suffering you are inflicting on these poor little bugs that are just trying to survive.

You watch TV and talk about how horrible people are who torture and abuse others and yet look at what you yourself are doing to a living, feeling creature every day in your home.

Karma is a witch so you had better hope that on the next go around you don’t come back as a stink bug. Just some food for thought. Peace and love.

anon76239

I had them last year, and now they've returned. Since they are always reappearing in my house, I take a sandwich ziploc bag, walk the stink bugs inside the bag, then close it tight. It's surprising how many stink bugs you can collect in one bag.

I keep the bag for several days, then discard. After a while, it becomes somewhat a game as to how many stinkers I've bagged. Works good for me.

anon75659

There is a product called "The Bug Vacuum" which works great on stink bugs. We have lots of stink bugs which get into our screened porch.

This product sucks in the stink bug and quickly zaps it. Once dead you can remove the bug by shaking it out of the vacuum. We have been using it for about a month now, and it works like a charm -- also good on other pests. Hope this helps some of you - it is worth the price of about $40.00.

anon75652

The stink bugs are especially bad this year. I feed them to my koi and they eat them -- yum! I am trying to seal my house but it is springtime and I have the windows open. jeez I hate these bugs.

anon75434

I have studied the "stink bug" phenomenon for quite some time and upon further scientific study I found these "bugs" to be a highly advanced biological machine whose main purpose is to study the human species.

The collective observes the humans in their habitat and catalogs every detail and then sends their data to its CP. The sheer numbers of the "bugs" allow them to study via a method known as "scattermicrognosis" or micro knowledge from multiple sources.

After catching several and interrogating them for several hours I have determined that they are not peaceful at all, despite their sluggish calm demeanor. I have even seen one grow 60 times its normal size after being questioned on its intentions.

They emit small amounts of ammonia but when multiplied by their volume this quantity will increase exponentially within six months. The ammonia will allow them to be restored to their normal size which is about the size of a VW bug. They will eat all the vegetable matter and eventually suck the life force from every human until the earth is left void. When the earth is surrounded by an ammonia canopy it will emit this gas into the stratosphere which will leach eventually to the sun itself causing an ammonia Jacobs ladder which will feed into the sun and cause a backdraft which will ignite our entire planet but it won't matter because we would all be dead.

After spending a $40 trillion dollar grant I received from Obama for studying stink bugs I conclude that to avoid the above, please step on every stink bug you see and dispose into the garbage.

anon74408

We collect 200 a day inside our home. Help!

anon66363

these are creatures! they don't need mr. clean drownings or alcohol squishing! be decent.

with bugs i take a plastic or glass container, a glass works, cover them and put a piece of paper under it and walk the thing outside. or, if you're really concerned flush it down the toilet. they are really harmless, it's just good to get rid of them so they don't infest the place.

my neighbor and her five year old hand walk them outside.

anon60996

The best way to eliminate stink bugs when you see them in your home is to use a portable vacuum dust buster. This eliminates you from any contact. No mess! Wayne

anon60518

I've read most of the comments and cures. None of them work. Isn't there a trap like a Japanese beetle trap available?

anon58441

It's important to seal all the cracks and reduce the size of the openings around your house - it's how they get in. After that, there are some barrier chemicals you can use in the secondary openings (things like recessed light fixtures, whole house fan openings, light switch and receptacle boxes, and so forth, and so on), but mostly it's about sealing the outside.

anon56276

I find them in our house but the way I kill them is take a kleenex or paper towel and wet it (in a central spot) with rubbing alcohol - it stops the stink and it kills them (I also squash them).

Then I take the kleenex or paper towel with the body and put it inside a small zip lock bag. I am collecting the dead bodies and then I will throw it out with the trash.

Hope this helps (at least with the ones you kill inside your house).

anon53825

how do i get rid of stink bugs that are in my apartment? I live on the third floor and I don't know were they are coming from.How do I get rid of those little stink bugs?

--stink bug hater

anon47967

The color of my house is grey. My immediate neighbors' homes are white and off-white. Clearly, there are many more stink bugs sunbathing on my home. I'm wondering, are they attracted to my home for the camouflage affect? Should I paint my house white?

anon47937

You can control stink bugs, though my rule is professional pesticides must be applied many times during the fall swarming. Without them you have to get used to living with them. Demand CS, Suspend SC and Talstar P will kill them slowly, but it will kill them. Also you must dust your attic with Delta dust or Tempo dust and lastly seal, seal caulk and seal and then again.

anon47391

I trap them in a bottle with mr clean in it.

anon47317

I have not found anything that gets rid of stinkbugs. I have tried everything and have paid tons of money for every possible way to get rid of these things. I have a propane torch around the house to burn them. Insane bug, the inventor of the pesticide will be a rich!

anon47303

I was so surprised to read the comment from Loudoun Co., VA. I too live in a log cabin in Loudoun Co., VA. A 200 year old, historic delight – but the stink bugs are making me crazy! I also have a large shed on my property that is a stink bug magnet. I tried Cyonara 9.7, but it worked only for a short time and I am now having problems with them again. I have looked at the “Stink Bug Control Package” from Dominion Pest Control; Dominion Pest Control Products & Services. They appear reputable; provide a short video and additional information about the problem. Anyone else have any other ideas? I am looking for anything that will help.

anon46339

We're going nuts in Loudoun Co., VA with the stink bugs!I live in a very old log cabin and sealing all cracks around doors or windows are impossible. Glad to hear about the cedar oil. I'm going to give it a try. Putting the stink bugs in a jar with fingernail polish remover after in home capture and then flushing down the toilet works. Being on a drainfield and well makes for water conservation in this method. I heard that they are a predator of what looks like a ladybug (it isn't) that usually invades in vast numbers during the fall. Haven't seen any of those this year. Anyone know about that?

anon46156

Cedar spray will kill stinkbugs and you can purchase online. it is non toxic to pets and humans, leaves a pleasant smell, and it also kills fleas, ticks and a host of other pests.

anon45667

soak your hands in lemon juice to remove stain and smell. Does anyone know if moth balls or cedar chips will keep them from nesting in my attic this fall?

anon31795

Flushing down the toilet doesn't work well, they can survive in water for long periods of time.

anon29623

Vacuum cleaners are a bad idea while they are alive. Zap them first with an electric flyswatter and then vacuum them up.

anon24047

I would like to hear of any surefire ways of removing stink bugs as they are hazardous to dogs/puppies who require veterinary attention (injections and so forth) if they spray into the animals eyes. A casual vacuum or picking or spraying off approach does not work effectively especially if animals are being hurt. And I don't use pesticides.

anon21756

I spent some hours removing stink bugs from lemon trees using gloves ! Well should of put plastic underneath ! I now have orange hands.

My question is how do i remove it ? Or do i not ? Have tried all the normal things. Can any one help??

anon20561

how can I get stink bug stains off my hands?

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    • You can use a caulk gun to seal your home and prevent stink bugs from gaining easy entry.
      By: tuja66
      You can use a caulk gun to seal your home and prevent stink bugs from gaining easy entry.
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