Stink Bugs

Stink Bugs

Your garden and even your home offer the perfect sanctuary for many pests looking for an ideal place to eat, rest and reproduce. The stink bug population is growing steadily in North America, and the insects have become a serious nuisance to hobbyist gardeners and homeowners.
How to get rid of Stink Bugs Naturally

To the agricultural industry, stink bugs are becoming downright costly as their impact is making a dent in farmers’ bottom lines.

Your garden and even your home offer the perfect sanctuary for many pests looking for an ideal place to eat, rest and reproduce. The stink bug population is growing steadily in North America, and the insects have become a serious nuisance to hobbyist gardeners and homeowners. To the agricultural industry, stink bugs are becoming downright costly as their impact is making a dent in farmers’ bottom lines.

Stink bugs reproduce quickly and can be difficult to get rid of because they tend to cluster together in large numbers. It’s important to eliminate them before they cause too much damage to your plants and crops. Luckily, there are a variety of solutions that can be used effectively against stink bugs in the home and garden.

Timing is everything when waging an attack on stink bugs. Like any insect, eggs are laid in the spring. By late summer and early fall, the presence of stink bugs is quite obvious. They may be present in your garden and can often find their way into your home and vehicles.

Regardless of where you find stink bugs, you likely want to know how to effectively deal with them quickly and safely. There are many natural pest control solutions that can kill stink bugs in the home and are also safe for use in organic gardening. Let’s first take a closer look at stink bugs.

About Stink Bugs

Brown marmorated stink bugs were introduced to North America from Asia in the late 90s

The stink bug is a small insect that looks much like a beetle. It has a triangle-shaped back and long, striped antennae. Its outer shell resembles a brown shield and is covered in what looks like brown bands and spots. The stink bug can fly quickly, giving it the ability to move swiftly from plant to plant. Its natural agility means it can easily feast on a variety of vegetation in no time at all. For this reason it is considered a “mobile pest.”

The stink bug’s scientific name is Halyomorpha halys, and there are thousands of types of stink bugs worldwide. The kind that is most damaging to North America homes and gardens is called the brown marmorated stink bug, or BMSB for short. They are considered an invasive species because they were introduced to North America from Asia during the late 1990s.

It is thought that the BMSB first arrived in the mid-Atlantic region via a shipment of goods from Asia. The species continues to spread across North America in a similar fashion: hitching rides in freight shipments across the United States and Canada.

One of the main characteristics that makes the stink bug such an undesirable blight is the foul smell it releases. As a defense mechanism, the stink bug will discharge a sticky, odorous substance to fight off its predators when it comes under attack.

The BMSB continues to thrive in many North American climates. Its damaging effects on crops and hobby gardens, as well as its general unpleasant presence in homes, has earned the BMSB a lot of attention in the scientific community as people look for control solutions.

Stink Bug Life Cycle

Female stink bugs can lay up to 486 eggs in their lifetime

As with most insects, female stink bugs lay their eggs in the early spring. The eggs are usually laid on the underside of leaves. Each cluster can contain as many as 28 eggs. Stink bugs mate multiple times, leading to a female laying as many as 486 eggs in her lifetime. Eggs start out as a light green color and eventually produce immature stink bugs called nymphs, which grow to become adult stink bugs.

By fall, adult stink bugs will begin looking for safe, warm places to hibernate for the winter. This is when they begin to venture indoors and can be found inside homes, buildings or even inside vehicles. They enter through small openings, cracks and crevices and will sleep protected indoors until temperatures warm up again in the spring. It is at this point they will venture to find their mates. In certain regions, there can be as many as two generations of stink bugs per year.

Types of Stink Bugs

In North America there are over 250 different types of stink bugs

There are an estimated 250 different types of stink bugs in North America. In addition to the pesky brown marmorated stink bug, there are other types of stink bugs that look similar:

  • Brown stink bug
  • Dusky stink bug
  • Green stink bug
  • Spined soldier bug
  • Rough stink bug
  • Western conifer-seed bug

Other types of stink bugs aren’t causing quite as much damage as the BMSB, but they’re certainly a nuisance in the home and garden as well.

Where Are Stink Bugs Found?

Stink bugs cause damage to larger agricultural crops, but they’re also commonly found in urban landscapes. They are known to reside in backyards, hobby gardens and along roadsides. They’re also known to infest homes, buildings and vehicles. Stink bugs have made their way across almost all of the United States, but the bulk of the population resides in the southern and eastern regions of North America.

How Stink Bugs Get Inside a House

Stink bug infestations can occur in the home after the pests made their way indoors for protection. Older homes with poor insulation and foundation or window sealant cracks are ideal for inviting in stink bugs. They will reside in walls or under carpeting while they go dormant throughout the winter season. Once they wake out of their sleepy state come spring, you may find yourself with a full stink bug scourge. Though they will not reproduce indoors or cause structural damage, they will be a nuisance because of their movement and stinky odor.

How Stink Bugs Damage Garden Plants

Stink bugs have what are described as piercing-sucking mouthparts. Both adult and nymph stink bugs have a proboscis that allows them to pierce the skin of fruits and vegetables and suck the juices from them. The result is a damaged pockmark and discoloration on the skin of the fruit or vegetable. This will potentially render it inedible and unmarketable for farmers because the damaged skin leaves the fruit or vegetable flesh in a hardened state.

Stink bugs love citrus fruits, but won’t turn down a selection of vegetable crops such as corn. They’ve even been known to damage shade trees and ornamental plants.

How Stink Bugs Damage Farm Crops

According to reports by the USDA-funded research group StopBMSB.com, stink bugs have spread to over 42 states. In seven of these states, brown marmorated stink bugs pose a severe risk to agricultural production, particularly in the mid-Atlantic region. In their native countries of China, Taiwan and Japan, brown marmorated stink bugs are known to consume a variety of citrus fruit plants like peaches, apples and pears. In North America, stink bugs have adapted their appetites to include many more varieties of food vegetation like tomatoes and corn.

The stink bug was first reported in North America in the late 1990s in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Since then, a population boom of BMSB has left farmers and others employed in the agricultural sector feeling the economic damage caused by these pests, which have consistently destroyed a wide variety of crops.

According to research performed by Texas A&M AgriLife, stink bugs have caused serious damage to soybean crops in Texas and other southern states. It is estimated that there are over 50 types of stink bugs found in soybean crops alone.

Stink bugs are naturally agile. In fact, a stink bug can fly up to 75 miles in one day, meaning it has no problem targeting complete fields of crops. Its ability to move from field to field leaves agricultural areas with detrimental damage to multiple crops in one region.

What Eats Stink Bugs?

When an invasive species begins to explode in population, it can be quite risky because, at first, there are no natural predators to prey on them. In their native region, the stink bug’s natural predator is a small parasitic wasp that will use their eggs as a host. In North America, however, stink bugs don’t have any natural predators of any prevalence yet.

As the population of BMSBs continues to grow in North America, we are beginning to see signs of limited predatory activity against them. Research completed by students at Virginia Tech University found that a similar species to the parasitic wasp found in Asia has been preying on stink bug eggs in a soybean field. It has also been recorded that certain bird species have preyed on stink bugs as well.

Research is still being conducted to determine the type of impact certain natural predators can actually have on the BMSB population. Studies will continue to show the impact throughout different settings like agricultural lands, forested areas and other unmanaged landscapes.

How Do You Get Rid of Stink Bugs?

If you’re ready to learn how to get rid of stink bugs in the house or garden, remember that prevention is key. If you’re concerned about an infestation in your home, be sure to take proactive measures. Seal all cracks in your windows and doorways. There may also be cracks in the flooring, baseboards and ceiling light fixtures through which insects can enter. It’s also advised to replace or repair any damaged window screens.

Many people decide to vacuum stink bugs away, but this may cause them to release their foul stench. Do not use pesticide products indoors because they contain harmful chemicals. A stink bug infestation in your home or garden can be controlled without the use of pesticides. By using products designed specifically to trap and kill stink bugs, you can eliminate your pest problem in your home and yard. Safer® Brand offers a variety of stink bug control products including traps, sprays and other products.

Best Ways to Eliminate Stink Bugs

Safer® Brand’s End ALL® Insect Killer is a stink bug control product that combines insecticidal soap, pyrethrin and neem oil to eliminate your household pest problem. End ALL® will kill stink bugs in all stages of development.

Apply End ALL® every 7-10 days when stink bugs are present and continue to reapply as needed to prevent further infestations. Spray the surface evenly and be sure not to drench plant leaves to the point of liquid runoff.

End ALL® is OMRI Listed® and is compliant for use in organic gardening. Use End ALL® to quickly eliminate stink bugs in your home and or garden.

Diatomaceous Earth Will Get Rid of Stink Bugs

Diatomaceous Earth kills a variety of insects, including stink bugs. It is a dust-like powder that contains a mixture of crushed fossilized algae (diatoms) that are sharp to insects with exoskeletons. When these insects encounter the Diatomaceous Earth powder, it cuts open their exoskeletons. This eventually causes them to dehydrate and die. Because this product contains no man-made chemicals, the insects will not develop a tolerance and therefore will never build up a resistance like they do with certain chemical-based products.

You can use Diatomaceous Earth indoors or outdoors to eliminate your stink bug problem wherever it is occurring. As long as the powder stays dry, it will continue to work.

Complete List of Stink Bug Control Solutions

Check out Safer Brand's products to get rid of stink bugs

Choose gardening products that will help protect your health and reduce damage on the environment and you can minimize the risk of developing illness in yourself and your family. Products that are compliant for use in organic gardening are also beneficial to your soil because they enrich it with vitamins and nutrients that encourage plant growth.

Many of Safer® Brand’s stink bug and insect control products are compliant for use in organic gardening. If you want to eliminate pests while protecting the health of your plants, fruits, vegetables, trees and shrubs, consider Safer® Brand. Our online store houses plenty of products that will eliminate stink bugs and other invasive species from your home and garden.

Stink Bug Controls

Where is Your Stink Bug Infestation?

Stink bug control has alot to do with the location of your stink bug infestation.

Indoor Stink Bug Solutions:

There is nothing worse then having stink bugs invade your home and eliminating stink bugs in your home is a tough task. Luckily, we have the Victor® Ultimate Stink Bug Trap as a poison free solution to eliminate stink bugs. 

Outdoor Stink Bug Solutions:

Stink bugs have been known to completely ravage gardens and other outdoor crops, making your outdoor living space a haven for stink bug breeding. This is the reason why we have released the Safer® Brand Stink Bug Magnet. This fast release pheromone attracts stink bugs faster then competitor traps and traps more stink bugs then any other trap on the market.

Kill Stink Bugs on Contact:

When you need to eliminate the stink bugs on contact, there is only 1 solution!  Safer® Brand End ALL® can eliminate stink bugs through the combination of insectical soap, pyrethrin, and neem oil.

What is A Stink Bug Killer for Use in Organic Gardening?

The most effective stink bug killer on the market is Safer® Brand End ALL® can eliminate stink bugs through the combination of insectical soap, pyrethrin, and neem oil. This OMRI Listed® solution is compliant for use in organic gardening.

Another way to eliminate stink bugs is using the Safer® Brand Stink Bug Magnet. The Stink Bug Magnet features a quick release pheromone to attract and trap stink bugs quickly.

How Does This Stink Bug Trap Work?

The Victor® Ultimate Stink Bug Trap uses a slow release pheromone and warm light made popular by our Ultimate Flea Trap. The combination of pheromone and heat make for the perfect haven to attract stink bugs in your home.

The Stink Bug Magnet uses a fast release pheromone to quickly trap stink bugs in the more competitive outdoor environment. This trap's color and pheromone prove to be the perfect combination for stink bug control.

How Does This Stink Bug Spray Work?

Safer® Brand End ALL® eliminates stink bugs by using a combination of insecticidal soap, pyrethrin, and neem oil extract. Pyrethrin works to break down the insects hard exoskeleton, and insecticidal soap breaks down the waxy membrane inside the exoskeleton, killing the insect through dehydration. Neem oil extract works by suffocating the insect. This provides you with 3 ways of eliminating these stinky pests.

When is the Best Time To Use a Stink Bug Trap?

The Ultimate Stink Bug Trap should be used at the first sign of stink bugs and can be kept on year round as a preventative and early detection device.

The Stink Bug Magnet should be used at first sign of stink bugs in your garden and other outdoor environment.

When is the Best Time to Use Stink Bug Spray?

Safer® Brand End ALL® is a contact killer and should be used at first sign of infestation. Since Safer® Brand EndALL is an organic stink bug control product registered by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) as well as proudly displaying the USDA National Organic Program 'For use in organic gardening' seal.

Why Choose a Natural Solution When Fighting Stink Bugs?

Natural solutions break down quickly into their natural elements. They are preferable to chemical pesticides that leave residuals where they are sprayed causing long-term detrimental affects on the environment.

Natural Predators

What Eats a Stink Bug in North America?

Stink bugs have no natural predators, which makes them even more difficult to get rid of.

What Can You Do to Control Stink Bugs?

Since Stink bugs have virtually no natural predators, consumers are forced to use pesticides to eliminate these pests. Products such as Safer® Brand End ALL® can eliminate stink bugs without leaving harmful residuals.

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OMRI Certified for Organic Gardening Safer® Brand leads the alternative lawn and garden products industry, offering many solutions that are compliant with organic gardening standards. Safer® Brand recognizes this growing demand by consumers and offers a wide variety of products for lawns, gardens, landscapes, flowers, houseplants, insects and more!
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