topic Re: Stink Bugs are Back in Home

Stink Bugs are Back

rms1954 — Sun, 22 Sep 2019 03:21:14 GMT

And in full force and bigger than ever. I've been killing them on my screen doors all day long, with a fly swatter. I know they are trying to get inside for the winter. Ugh. I've tried every bug spray I know. I think they are from outer space and indestructible.

Re: Stink Bugs are Back

blackhole99 — Sun, 22 Sep 2019 03:31:17 GMT

Yes, they certainly are and my left hand is all stained a rusty color from catching them and putting them in a plastic bag. I wasn't even squeezing them, I guess they just release that stain automatically.

Re: Stink Bugs are Back

laundrycat — Sun, 22 Sep 2019 04:23:08 GMT

Same thing going on here in NE Ohio. It's like they want in as they are clinging to my screen window.

Re: Stink Bugs are Back

Kachina624 — Sun, 22 Sep 2019 06:48:06 GMT

Hopefully, like many insects, they dislike dry, arid conditions and will stay out of the Desert Southwest.

Re: Stink Bugs are Back

docsgirl — Sun, 22 Sep 2019 09:08:36 GMT

@laundrycat wrote:
Same thing going on here in NE Ohio. It's like they want in as they are clinging to my screen window.

I, too, live in NE Ohio and they are back and bigger than ever. YUK!!!! docsgirl

Re: Stink Bugs are Back

Nonametoday — Sun, 22 Sep 2019 10:09:31 GMT

We had an invasion of them a couple years ago. They are horrible. I found that they like white. Anything white attracted them and they are particularly bad this time of year. I have white shutters and white trim in my house so they loved me. I also found they are attracted to light (probably the warmth) but they hate garlic, so I put garlic inside all my window sills to keep them from entering at the windows but occasionally there were some at the tops of the windows and around the doors, so I would see them (never swat them!!!).

If you swat them, they smell up the joint and their friends smell them and come to their rescue. I would lead them onto white napkins near the areas where I kept lights on. Once I had them all on the napkins (and they felt safe), I would hold one hand on the toilet flush lever and the napkin the other, dump and flush, and get about 10 at a time that way. Also, as I understand if they feel your touch in catching or swatting them, they emit that wonderful aroma, so try to lead them onto the napkin and do not touch them or grasp them. Just let them guide you through this process to the toilet.

If you have a master gardener club or a county agent from the agriculture department in your area, they might have better methods but this is what this master gardener came up with based on available methods versus poisons, etc.

I prefer the garlic and catch/flush method over swatting because they stink worse when you swat and it encourages more to come your way. We had thousands (at my house alone). We do live on the banks of a creek and there is kudzu growing all along the edges of the embankment behind our property, and my understanding is that kudzu is one of their favorite habitats. I spent half of each day catching and flushing them for weeks on end Please encourage them onto something/flushable and white and send them on their merry, stinking way.

Re: Stink Bugs are Back

itsmagic — Sun, 22 Sep 2019 10:08:19 GMT

I just saw this thread and have to agree - yesterday I said to my husband that the stink bugs were back since I saw a few clinging to the outside of our screen doors. A little while later he said, “there’s one of your friends.” And I looked and one was crawling on the carpet. Yikes! Now I’m hoping the weather turns cool soon so they go away!

Re: Stink Bugs are Back

Nonametoday — Sun, 22 Sep 2019 10:33:40 GMT

I understand stinkbugs are worst in states that grow kudzu. Ohio, particularly the Columbus area, has quite a bit of kudzu, but Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi and borroughs of New York. It is particularly prominent in Nova Scotia.

The origins of its introduction to this country are variable and several, but I learned from a reliable source (a teaching university) that It was first introduced to the USA from Asia to prevent erosion following the Civil War, where crops had once grown but were destroyed and the land was eroding and later more was established following the introduction of the boll weevil to the south.

Not sure if the government introduced the boll weevil to prevent cotton crops growing in the south or it was a natural occurrence, but as our government is wont to do things like introduce insects to prevent invasive crops (such as wild roses and honeysuckles), I no longer doubt anything our government does or has done and once out of control, they seek other short-term measures to control that problem which leads to another problem. I guess living means changing and altering courses but our government seems to be pretty good at this.

Some (maybe pseudo) historians say it was given to the USA for porch coverings, but that seems implausible to me, as it can consume a whole community of houses in one summer if allowed to grow on a porch or whatever near a home. So I doubt the veracity of that.

I was told that, following the civil war, especially where rice, tobacco crops and cotton and been grown but destroyed by federal troops, where land was susceptible to erosion, kudzu was planted to prevent erosion (as it is a huge vining plant) which loves poor soil and establishes itself and grows at the rate of 1 ft per day, so in the south, where the weather is above freezing for about 8 months per year, you see how it could grow to destroy whole neighborhoods (unless it is controlled) in a few months. So, the government has spent quite a bit of money destroying it and it is getting worse because herbicides are no longer allowed to control its growth.

This is all, JMHO, based on what I have read, heard and experienced, but the stink bugs are proof that they live in kudzu-infested area.

Re: Stink Bugs are Back

LillyBee2 — Sun, 22 Sep 2019 10:58:33 GMT

Gosh.. that sounds like a terrible infestation. I haven't seen many here, a few. I live in the Pacific NW, we get gigantic slugs but not to many stink bugs. Is it a southern thing?

Re: Stink Bugs are Back

KingstonsMom — Sun, 22 Sep 2019 11:44:05 GMT

@LillyBee2

They're not that common in my southern neck of the woods, SE coastal GA, I rarely see one.

I also have a creek behind my house, but no kudzu, lots of trees, bushes though.

I'm on an island off the coast of GA, so maybe they don't like salt air or water?

We have a bigger problem with love bugs coming up from FL, but at least they don't stink and aren't creepy looking, although they're a bear to get off you car's paint job.

Re: Stink Bugs are Back

beautybee — Sun, 22 Sep 2019 12:27:54 GMT

We have had them pretty bad iin the last five years. My tactic is I start spraying a special insecticide around the porch and around the doors in mid to late August. This leaves a residue that kills them. Next I use painters tape to seal any small cracks around. I have a screen door that they like to get into. I rarely use that door so I seal it with the tape. Take it off when the stink bugs go away.

This year I purchase the bugzooka from amazon. I thought it was a silly contraption but I figured I would give it a try and it works out very well. I can get the ones that seem out of my reach. I have a bucket of water outdoors, I add a cap full of bleach and some Dawn detergent. I empty the bugzooka in the water and I wait until I get quite a few in the bucket, then I dump it down the drain. This mixture seems to kill them quickly.

Oh and don't leave anything out on your porch that they can crawl into and hang out for the winter. And be sure to seal up your attic.

Re: Stink Bugs are Back

fancy pantsy — Sun, 22 Sep 2019 12:51:42 GMT

i have never had the pleasure of meeting a stink bug lol. i have lived GA where there was plenty of kudzu, but i don't remember any stink bugs.

now i am in FL tho, and we have love bugs. we are just starting our fall season (because we have them in the spring and in the fall). they are more annoying than anything, except after you drive on the highway if you don't rinse the dead bugs off of your car, it will eat through your finish... so you do have to be careful in that respect.

Re: Stink Bugs are Back

rms1954 — Sun, 22 Sep 2019 17:28:49 GMT

@beautybee wrote:
We have had them pretty bad iin the last five years. My tactic is I start spraying a special insecticide around the porch and around the doors in mid to late August. This leaves a residue that kills them. Next I use painters tape to seal any small cracks around. I have a screen door that they like to get into. I rarely use that door so I seal it with the tape. Take it off when the stink bugs go away.

This year I purchase the bugzooka from amazon. I thought it was a silly contraption but I figured I would give it a try and it works out very well. I can get the ones that seem out of my reach. I have a bucket of water outdoors, I add a cap full of bleach and some Dawn detergent. I empty the bugzooka in the water and I wait until I get quite a few in the bucket, then I dump it down the drain. This mixture seems to kill them quickly.

Oh and don't leave anything out on your porch that they can crawl into and hang out for the winter. And be sure to seal up your attic.

What insecticide do you use?

Re: Stink Bugs are Back

songbird — Sun, 22 Sep 2019 17:36:49 GMT

We have them trying to get in. This happens every Autumn and Spring. We can't kill them because of the smell. I just pick them up (with a tissue) flush down the toilet. They say to keep a jar of soapy water and drop them in there. You have get over your squeamishness ad simply pick them up.

Kudzo and stink bugs go hand and hand. We had some earlier this year, but we yanked them out. So right now we're kudzo free. No stink bugs yet right now.

Re: Stink Bugs are Back

staciesmom — Sun, 22 Sep 2019 17:37:53 GMT

@docsgirl wrote:
@laundrycat wrote:
Same thing going on here in NE Ohio. It's like they want in as they are clinging to my screen window.
I, too, live in NE Ohio and they are back and bigger than ever. YUK!!!! docsgirl

I live in NE Ohio too and I had just made the comment about 2 weeks ago that I haven't seen any stinkbugs this year - well I spoke too soon - they are back!

Re: Stink Bugs are Back

Krimpette — Sun, 22 Sep 2019 17:47:26 GMT

Metro-DC area here. Saw one on my screen door this morning. Haven't seen them in a very long time. Hope that's the only one!

Re: Stink Bugs are Back

ScrapHappy — Sun, 22 Sep 2019 17:48:09 GMT

@rms1954 wrote:
And in full force and bigger than ever. I've been killing them on my screen doors all day long, with a fly swatter. I know they are trying to get inside for the winter. Ugh. I've tried every bug spray I know. I think they are from outer space and indestructible.

I've been living in our new house for 3 years and had my first, and hopefully last experience, with stink bugs a couple of months ago. Just one day, they showed up out of the blue. I do agree with other posters, they seem to be attracted to white because they would settle mostly on the white of my windows but I still had some on the house itself which isn't white. I called the exterminators. Was told to use a vaccum. They were never inside my house, thank goodness. I had posted here to inquire how to get ride of them. I tried all the tricks...the garlic spray, the white foamy water, etc. Got a bug zapper, that didn't help. When nothing seemed to work, we just started squatting them. And then a couple of days later, poof! they didn't come back. Fingers crossed. The exterminators told me they usually go away for the Fall season, though our experience was over the summer. I hope reading your post doesn't mean I can expect them back. I'll have my squatter at the ready!

Re: Stink Bugs are Back

Azcowgirl — Sun, 22 Sep 2019 18:11:43 GMT

My first and last experience with them was in the high desert of Colorado. Very arid and no kudzu, yet shortly after moving in to our new log home, we discovered it was infested with them. We got rid of them and sold the home many years ago, but to this day the smell is still in my memory....ugh. 😝

Re: Stink Bugs are Back

beautybee — Sun, 22 Sep 2019 18:29:39 GMT

@rms1954 Talstarr Professional Insecticide. I learned about this at the Stink Bug Forum. It is pricey, but effective. Make sure to use goggles and rubber gloves when handling.

When they first came around, I only saw one or two on my porch and I thought it looked like a weird little bug but didn't pay much attention. Then one day I needed to get something from my attic. I had all my holiday ornamentss up there and they were in those big plastic tubs with lid. I also had a box up there where I had purchased something but wanted to keep the box in case I needed to return it. I usually never keep cardboard in the house. Well the box smelled awful.

When I went to move a tub there were all these bugs nestled between everything.There must have been dozens up there. I think they put their scent on the cardboard and it attracted other bugs. The vent in my attic had a slot in it and that is how they were getting in. I screened that off. Got rid of the bugs and donated or threw out most everything that was in my attic. There is absolutely nothing there and so far, no bugs. It is a big attic too, and it was great for storage.

Re: Stink Bugs are Back

Nonametoday — Mon, 23 Sep 2019 17:45:06 GMT

@KingstonsMom wrote:
@LillyBee2

They're not that common in my southern neck of the woods, SE coastal GA, I rarely see one.

I also have a creek behind my house, but no kudzu, lots of trees, bushes though.

I'm on an island off the coast of GA, so maybe they don't like salt air or water?

We have a bigger problem with love bugs coming up from FL, but at least they don't stink and aren't creepy looking, although they're a bear to get off you car's paint job.

@KingstonsMom In Georgia, stinkbugs are creating lots of problems. Perhaps your island has not been invaded ---- yet. Love bugs just mess up your windshield and dirty up your car but that is easily cleaned. Not so with stink bugs.