Stink bugs are a group of flying insects measuring about ¼ inch to ½ inch in length. Attracted towards light, stink bugs can be a regular visitor at your house. Their wide bodies resemble a shield, and their piercing mouth parts emits horrible odor, which helps them stay away from predators. Commonly referred as shield bugs, they are resistant to many mild pesticides out there in the market. This quality makes them extremely difficult to evacuate.

They invade homes, meadows, fields or gardens for most part of the year. Although harmless to human beings, they are known to destroy crops and plants. They survive on plants and nuts, which inevitably makes them damage gardens and other blossoming plantations. Getting rid of them entirely can be a big challenge, as it involves more than a few power spraying around the area.

There are many chemical pesticides available in the market that can help one eliminate these stink bugs. Concealing your house is the key, if you are looking to avoid their entry into your lovely house. Closing and sealing open doors and windows will help you stay away from these stink bugs for most part. Fix any cracks and inspect all possible entries which can invite these unwanted irritating guests.

However, if they have already paved their way into your house then find all their spots, and use stink bug pesticides to control and prevent their invasion. Draw any stink bugs you find into the vacuum cleaner, and dispose them off immediately after placing them on a trash bag. Do not fall into the temptation of crushing the insect, as they will leave behind a bad unbearable odor. Since they are attracted towards light, it is always a good idea to switch off the lights when not in use.

You can spray pesticides during early spring to protect your garden plants from stink bugs. Nicotine water is another good solution to get rid of stink bugs from your house and garden area. In order to prepare nicotine water, one needs to fill half a gallon of lukewarm water with half a packet of cigarettes, and allow the solution to gel for 10 to 20 minutes. Add a teaspoon of detergent powder after filtering the nicotine solution by 2-3 layers of a cheese cloth. This will act like a poisonous solution for stink bugs, and kill them upon interaction. It is also advisable to wear gloves while in contact with nicotine water to prevent any kind of skin allergies. Also make sure to wash the fruits and vegetables nicely before use, if you have used nicotine water on them.

If you find these tasks very cumbersome to do on your own, then you can call the pest controllers to get rid of these bugs.

Although harmless to human beings, they bite hard enough to stimulate pain, which is why one needs to take adequate precautions to avoid them from entering one’s house. With the measures above, you will be armed with enough information to battle these unwanted predators.

Mark Perry

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