Stink Bugs

Here is information from Dr. Dave Samuel, former chairman of the Environmental Quality Board, about stink bugs, which have been especially bad the past few years.
 t bite, and they didn't really smell, but they were everywhere, inside and outside our homes.  Get out the sweeper and suck them up by the thousands, but there always seemed to be more pouring in.  That was then, but now we have a new home invader. Stink bugs. 

Stink bugs came to America from the Orient where they are agricultural pests.  They apparently caught a ride on a container ship and were first seen in Allentown Pennsylvania in 2001.  They were first spotted in West Virginia in 2004.  Stink bugs didn't appear to be much of a problem until last year when the numbers soared.  Today they have spread to many states, and this summer and fall we'll all get a chance to see them . . . in our homes. 

There are a number of species of stink bugs, but the one we have is the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug.  There, aren't you glad you read my column today?  Regardless of its formal name, for home owners, the real problem is that they are in your house in large numbers.  The other night I got up around 3 A.M. to do what older men do at 3 A.M., and voila, there on the toilet was a stink bug.  He ended up floating away (use your imagination). 

Even though it was in my bathroom, he (she) posed no threat to me.  Stink bugs don't bite, and unless you crush them, they don't smell too bad.  However, if you are in the agriculture business, especially fruits and vegetables, stink bugs are a major economic problem.  Growers in the eastern panhandle were hit fairly hard last year, and things could get worse this summer. 

Adults emerge in late April and May, mate (is that what that guy or girl was doing on my toilet? There has to be a better place for those activities.  Then again, when you are a bug, you may just be a little less discriminating), then lay eggs from late May through August.  The eggs hatch and go through five molts.  As cold weather comes on the adults look for places to overwinter.  Your home. 

They'll feed on ornamental plants, but really like fruits such as pears, peaches, and apples.  They've even been found on blackberries, tomatoes and corn. 

OK, the big question.  How to keep them out of your home?  Actually, the best way is the same way you used to keep the Asian lady beetles out of your homes several years ago.  Cover or caulk all cracks around the exterior windows and doors.  Do the same around chimneys, wood fascia, and repair all bad screens.  In other words, seal your house as best you can.  Yes, you can spray, but I'm told that most insecticides you would use on your house have a short effective life span, so these won't work very well. 

In the spring, if they start to emerge in your home, then seal all cracks around baseboards, window and door trim, ceiling light fixtures, etc.  You can suck them up with a vacuum cleaner, but that smell may stay with the sweeper for three weeks.  Last year some folks in Maryland removed more than 20,000 of these rather large critters from their homes. 

The prediction is that in mid-September we will be inundated with these pests.  Get prepared and seal your home as best you can.  For your gardens, I found one reference that said to use insecticidal soaps.  Several references noted that when sprayed, these nasty little bugs can lay "dead" for up to a week, then suddenly resurrect.  Tough critters.  One last thing.  Be careful about buying sprays that guarantee to kill all the stink bugs in or around your home.  Apparently, at this time, there just isn't any such product.  What a stinking mess this is. 

Bugs That Are Stinking Up The Place          May 15, 2011
by
Dr. Dave Samuel

First it was those pesky little rascals that looked like ladybugs that invaded our space and made a nuisance of themselves.  They didn'