Is your home experiencing a stink bug invasion? Many homes across the U.S. are being invaded by the brown marmorated stink bug. This insect is called a stink bug because it emits a foul strong odor when disturbed or stepped on. It is a foreign insect from Eastern Asia and was introduced into the United States about 25 years ago. This invasive species has quickly spread from the northeastern states to 44 other states. In particular, the bugs are very prevalent in the mid-Atlantic states, including Southwest Virginia.
Stink Bugs Cause Extensive Damage
Stink bugs won’t bite or sting people, but they will do quite a bit of damage to plants. These pests feed on plants by sucking the juices from the stems, leaves and roots, and they will eat everything from ornamental plants to weeds, as well as nuts, seeds and fruit. While they don’t cause structural damage to your home like some other pests do, stink bugs can chew through your plants, creating extensive damage particularly to vegetable gardens and orchards. Crop farmers in particular have been affected.
In the fall, as temperatures turn colder, you might experience a mass invasion of stink bugs. In colder weather, you might notice large numbers of them congregating on sunny exterior walls of your home. They do go into hibernation during winter, but as soon as temperatures turn warmer in the spring, they are back at it, munching away on your plants and vegetables.
Treatment for Stink Bugs
If you have a stink bug invasion, treatment is best left to the professionals at Bug Man Exterminating. Because their bodies are so flat, stink bugs can creep into pretty much any nook or cranny in your home. They can also fly and crawl up walls, sometimes in large numbers. We will prevent them from getting inside your home to escape the heat or cold. We will look for cracks to seal cracks, screens to repair and vents to close.
We can use chemical products and can also use pheromone-based traps that stink bugs are attracted to. New research from the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) entomologists has shown that stink bugs are attracted to blue light. In fact, the bugs often can be found on sunny exterior walls of your home and they definitely gravitate toward light. At night, they can be found near porch lights.
If you have seen one stink bug around your home, chances are there are many more lurking around nearby, so give Bug Man Exterminating a call today. We’ll take care of your stink bug invasion.