Stink Bug Trouble? How to Stop the Fall Crawl
As the weather begins to cool in early October, many homeowners start noticing an unwelcome visitor around windows, doors, siding, and sometimes even inside the house: stink bugs.
These insects may not cause the same kind of damage as termites or pose the same health concerns as rodents, but they can quickly become a frustrating fall pest. Once stink bugs find their way indoors, they may gather in large numbers and remain hidden inside your home throughout the colder months.
The good news is that there are steps you can take to make your home less inviting. Understanding what stink bugs look like, where they live, and why they enter homes in the fall can help you prevent an infestation before it starts.
What Are Stink Bugs?
Stink bugs belong to a large group of insects known for the unpleasant odor they release when they feel threatened or are crushed. One of the most common species found around homes is the brown marmorated stink bug.
Stink bugs spend much of the warmer part of the year outdoors, feeding on plants, fruits, vegetables, and other vegetation. As fall arrives and outdoor temperatures begin dropping, their behaviour changes.
Instead of searching for food, stink bugs begin looking for a protected place where they can spend the winter.
Unfortunately, your home can provide exactly what they are looking for.
Warm walls, attics, crawl spaces, garages, window frames, and other sheltered areas can make excellent overwintering sites for stink bugs.
What Do Stink Bugs Look Like?
Knowing how to identify stink bugs can help you determine whether they are the insects gathering around your home.
Adult stink bugs are generally:
About 1.5 centimetres long
Brown, grey, or mottled in colour
Broad and somewhat flat
Shaped like a shield when viewed from above
Equipped with long antennae and six legs
The brown marmorated stink bug often has a marbled or mottled brown appearance, along with lighter bands on portions of its antennae and body. Their distinctive shield shape is one of the easiest ways to recognize them. And, of course, there is another identifying feature: their smell.
When disturbed, threatened, injured, or crushed, stink bugs can release a strong odour from glands on their bodies. This natural defence mechanism helps discourage predators, but it can also make dealing with stink bugs inside your home especially unpleasant.
Where Do Stink Bugs Live?
During spring and summer, stink bugs are usually found outdoors around gardens, trees, shrubs, agricultural areas, and other vegetation. They may feed on a variety of plants and crops by using their piercing mouthparts to draw fluids from plant tissue.
When autumn temperatures begin to fall, stink bugs start searching for warm, dry, protected places to spend the winter. In nature, they may shelter under bark, inside dead trees, or within other protected spaces.
Around homes and buildings, however, they may gather on sunny exterior walls and look for small openings that lead indoors.
Common entry points include gaps around:
Windows
Doors
Utility lines
Siding
Rooflines
Vents
Chimneys
Foundations
Even a small opening may be enough for stink bugs to squeeze through.
Why Are Stink Bugs Coming Into My Home?
If you suddenly notice stink bugs around your house in early October, they probably are not coming inside because they want food.
They are looking for shelter.
As days become shorter and temperatures drop, stink bugs begin searching for protected places where they can survive the winter. Homes provide warmth, shelter, and plenty of cracks and crevices where they can hide.
Once inside, stink bugs may settle behind walls, inside attics, around window frames, or in other quiet areas.
They generally do not reproduce inside the home during winter, and they are not known for chewing furniture or damaging the structure of your house. However, having dozens—or even hundreds—of stink bugs hiding inside your home can still become a major nuisance.
What Do Stink Bugs Do Inside Your Home?
For much of the winter, stink bugs may remain relatively inactive while hiding in protected areas.
The problems often begin when the temperature changes. Heating your home or experiencing a warm, sunny winter day can cause stink bugs to become active again. They may mistakenly believe spring has arrived and begin crawling or flying toward light.
That is why homeowners sometimes find stink bugs around windows, lamps, ceilings, or walls in the middle of winter.
They do not usually bite people or pets, but their presence can be annoying. Crushing them can also release their characteristic unpleasant smell.
How Do You Know If You Have a Stink Bug Problem?
One or two stink bugs inside your home may simply be insects that accidentally found their way indoors. Repeated sightings, however, can indicate that more are hiding nearby.
Signs of a stink bug problem can include:
Numerous stink bugs gathering on the sunny side of your home
Bugs clustering around windows or doors
Stink bugs appearing repeatedly inside during fall or winter
Insects emerging from attics, wall spaces, or window frames
A noticeable unpleasant odour after stink bugs are disturbed
Fall is an especially important time to watch for them because this is when stink bugs are actively searching for winter shelter.
How Can You Keep Stink Bugs Away?
Prevention is one of the best ways to deal with stink bugs. Before cold weather arrives, inspect the exterior of your home and look for places where insects could enter.
Seal cracks and gaps around windows, doors, siding, utility penetrations, pipes, and other openings. Repair damaged window screens and make sure exterior doors close tightly. Weatherstripping and door sweeps can also help reduce entry points. Check vents and other exterior openings to make sure they are properly screened while still allowing necessary airflow.
It can also help to reduce clutter around the exterior of your home and keep vegetation properly maintained.
If you find stink bugs indoors, avoid crushing them whenever possible because doing so may release their defensive odour.
A vacuum can sometimes be used to remove individual stink bugs, although the smell may remain inside the vacuum afterward.
For larger numbers of stink bugs, professional pest control such as Sentry Pest Control may be the most effective option.
Stink bugs can be persistent, especially once they have discovered easy ways to enter your home. Early fall is an excellent time to take action because preventing stink bugs from getting inside is much easier than dealing with a large number of them throughout the winter.
Don’t let stink bugs turn your home into their winter shelter!
If you are seeing stink bugs around your home or finding them indoors, contact Sentry Pest Control. Our pest control professionals can help identify the source of the problem, locate potential entry points, and recommend an appropriate treatment and prevention plan for your property.
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