Have you come to dread the sight of the brown, shield-shaped marmorated stink bug? You’re not alone. These stink bugs are a nuisance to homes around Baltimore and are responsible for the damage of many fruit and vegetable crops throughout the U.S.
If you’re having trouble identifying a stink bug, you can look for these things:
• Mottled brown and cream colored back
• Black and white banding on the edge of its abdomen and on its antennae
• Six brown legs with faint white bands
• White to light gray underside with grey or black markings
You can also identify a stink bug by the smell it releases when it is threatened or crushed. Based on its name, you can assume that the scent is very potent.
Stink Bug Behavior
Stink bugs suck sap from leaves, fruits, buds, and blossoms of fruit trees, causing blossoms to drop prematurely or fruit to grow deformed. Plants like tomatoes, soy beans, lima beans, and sweet corn are also susceptible to stink bug damage.
The stink bug lays clusters of 25 eggs from June through August. The eggs are light green and barrel shaped, and the nymphs that hatch from them are yellowish and mottled with black and red. They go through five different stages before they reach adulthood.
The best way to keep stink bugs out of your home is by doing the following:
• Seal cracks around doors and windows with caulk and window stripping
• Remove window air conditioners (a favorite entry point)
• Put foam spray around electrical outlets on outside walls to seal cracks
• Repair screens
• Keep branches and tree limbs away from windows
• Use yellow bulbs instead of white for outside lights
How to Get Rid of Stink Bugs
If stink bugs have found their way into your home, there are a few different things you can do to get rid of them.
These bugs move slowly enough for you to be able to catch them. Once you catch them, either deposit them outside or put them in a bowl of water and liquid soap. You can also vacuum up the bugs and empty the bag afterward.
We recommend not squishing these bugs or touching them.
As a Home Protection Plan customer, if you’re not satisfied with our pest control service, we will service your home at no additional cost until your issue is solved or receive your money back from your last scheduled service.
Stink bugs can be a very annoying addition to your home. If these pests refuse to leave, give Brody Brothers a call. We’ll send one of our trained pest control professionals over to efficiently remove these bugs from your home.
Give us a call at (410) 653-2121 to schedule your stink bug removal service in the Baltimore area today, or contact us online!
