Stink Bugs Return - By Annette Ipsan
They’re baaaack. Stink bugs - the scourge of Washington County – have returned. And they’ve brought friends. They
are gathering in great clumps on our screen doors, houses, porches and anything standing still to frustrate us and give us
the creeps.
What can you do? First, recognize that they can’t harm you. They don’t bite, sting or damage our homes. That’s small
consolation, I know. But they really aren’t harmful in any way, just irritating.
Stink bugs don’t belong here. They came from China, Korea or Japan a dozen years ago by mistake, probably in
packing material. (How many things do you own that say, “Made in China?”) They have no natural predators:
apparently they taste as bad as they smell.
Because they come from a tropical climate, stink bugs can’t handle our cold winters. So, they tuck into cracks and
crevices to weather the winter, going into a state of semi-hibernation.
In the spring they fly away to feed, mostly gently, on plants. Peach and apple growers do get some damage from these
insects.
How do you manage stink bugs? Keep them outside. Seal up your home with silicone caulk and weather stripping,
paying special attention to doors and windows, baseboards, ceiling lights, exhaust fans and baseboards. Replace torn
screens and cover vents with screening. Remove window air conditioners.
Managing stink bugs
 Seal with caulk or weather striping:
doors
windows
baseboards
ceiling lights
exhaust fans
baseboards
 Replace torn screens
 Cover vents with screening
 Remove window air conditioners
 Bag and toss or vacuum stink bugs
 Don’t spray insecticides in your
home
 Hire a certified pesticide applicator
to spray around your home several
times (cost: $300-$500 with
incomplete control.)
No chemicals control stink bugs well.
Rumors fly about this spray and that, but
the bottom line is that few things kill
stink bugs and the rumored fixes come
with serious health risks. Even if you
zap a few, many more are waiting to
move in. Researchers haven’t yet come
up with an effective treatment.
Certified pesticide applicators can apply
a series of perimeter sprays around your
home with synthetic pyrethroids, but
they break down quickly. So, repeat
applications are necessary with a price tag of several hundred dollars. These pyrethroids have significant health risks
for both people and pets and some stink bugs still sneak through.
If stink bugs do come in your home, pop them into a plastic bag and toss them in your trash or vacuum them up. To
avoid the notorious stink, put a thin sock over the end of the hose, stuff it inside, and use a rubber band to tie it to the
hose. Vacuum up the stink bugs, then tie and toss the sock. When cold weather hits, toss them outside. They can’t
survive.
Stink bugs are an unfortunate fact of life, proof that there aren’t always easy answers. We can take comfort in the fact
that insect populations rise and fall, researchers are working on a fix, and that all sieges eventually end.
This article originally appeared in the Herald-Mail newspaper on September 25, 2009.