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Stink Bugs On the Move - January 2007
January 3, 2007
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – They’re everywhere -- upstairs, downstairs, in every room. And when you try to do the right thing by escorting them outdoors, they repay you by emitting a foul-smelling odor. What are they and where did they come from?
According to Steve Jacobs, extension entomologist at Penn State, the little critters are brown marmorated stink bugs. “An invasive species from Southeast Asia, the stink bugs were first spotted in Pennsylvania in Allentown about eight years ago. They become a nuisance pest both indoors and out when they search for places to overwinter on warm fall days. Stink bugs can also reappear on sunny days throughout the winter, and again as it emerges in the spring.”
Adult stink bugs are small, typically about 17 mm long, reddish-brown, and have a body shaped like a shield. Harmless to humans, they get their name from the odor that they emit as a means of defense.
According to Jacobs, adults emerge from overwintering in June and lay eggs. The new adults appear in mid-August, looking for something to eat. “They feed on a wide variety of plants, including apples, peaches, ornamental plants, weeds and soybeans.”
Once stink bugs make their way into homes in early fall, they can be hard to get rid of, so try keeping them from getting in. “Years of evolution have made them attracted to cliff faces,” says Ed Rajotte, Pennsylvania IPM program coordinator at Penn State. “The bugs will instinctively crawl up the sides of homes and other buildings, looking for cracks and crevices to burrow into.”
Jacobs recommends caulking cracks around windows, doors, siding, utility pipes, behind chimneys, and underneath the wood fascia and other openings. Damaged screens on doors and windows should be repaired or replaced. “Applying a pesticide to the exterior of your home may not do any good, because many pesticides that homeowners can purchase are broken down by sunlight in a couple of days. Also, even when the bugs crawl through a pesticide and receive a lethal dose they may not die until after they have crawled into the house.”
If you already have bugs in your home, try locating openings such as cracks under or behind baseboards, around window and door trim, and around exhaust fans or lights in ceilings. Seal these openings with caulk or other suitable materials to prevent the insects from crawling out. Remove both live and dead stink bugs with a vacuum cleaner and release them outdoors.
Jacobs advices not to use pesticides to control stink bugs found inside. “Although sprays, dusts and other treatments may kill hundreds of bugs, its possible that carpet beetles will feed on the dead stink bugs and then attack woolens, stored dry goods or other natural products in the home. It will also not prevent more insects from emerging.”
For more information about stink bugs and other pests, download Penn State’s brochure on brown marmorated stink bugs at http://resources.cas.psu.edu/ipm/bmsbug.pdf, or see the entomology department’s pest sheet at http://www.ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/ brownMarmoratedstinkbug.htm.
The Pennsylvania IPM program is a collaboration between the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture aimed at promoting integrated pest management in both agricultural and urban settings. For more information, contact the program at (814) 865-2839, or Web site http://www.paipm.org/. To view our archived news releases, see Web site http://paipm.cas.psu.edu/10.htm.