Stinkbug Smackdown

The Stinkbug gets its name from the odor it omits. The smell is strong and resembles cilantro which helps discourage predators like birds and lizards. They also use its odor to mark your home so they can find the same area to nest in the next year. You can buy sprays to discourage their migration but none of the online remedies sound easy to me.

The funny thing is that many over 30 crowds don’t remember stinkbugs as children because they were introduced to the United States in the late 1990s. They spread so quickly because they can generate three generations in a single season. The female stinkbug can lay up to 30 eggs at a time and they hatch only 4 days later.

 Stinkbugs are an agricultural pest so they look for areas rich in plants and flowers. They can come in all kinds of colors. From brown, grey or green to black and red. If you find stinkbugs are infiltrating your fruits or vegetables you can spray them with an organic bug control product such as Vegetables Plus Permethrin.

But as the temperature gets colder they migrate into the cracks and crevices of your home and why they end up flying around inside the house. They stay inside hibernating until the temperature warms up again. 

They are also attracted to UV light so a light trap with a small amount of liquid dish detergent at the bottom of the trap will help. During the summer months when you open and close a door near a porch light you’ll end up with more inside. You can change the porch lights to yellow bulbs or sodium vapor lights which are less attractive to the bug and this will help.  Of course I have an essential oils remedy. 10 drops of peppermint oil in a cup of water sprayed on leaves and the surrounding soil of the plant will help repel them. You can get peppermint oil here: 
https://www.doterra.com/US/en/site/growit

If you find you have a real problem it would be wise to have your professional pest control company spray for stinkbugs in the late summer or early fall just prior to bug assemblage. You can also seal around doors, windows and outside outlets with 

silicone caulk.

Looks like stinkbugs are here to stay. And that’s your stinkbug smackdown.