Do you typically have a few brown, shield-shaped bugs crawling around in your curtains and on your walls through the fall and winter months? How about dozens or even hundreds of them? Do they crawl on your television, perch on your light fixtures, and congregate around your windows? If so, we don’t have to tell you that those are brown marmorated stink bugs. You’ve probably already spent hours on the internet researching those nuisance pests and ways to get rid of them. But, while it is easy to use information on the internet to identify stink bugs, it is difficult to get reliable guidance on how to get rid of them effectively. Here are a few pitfalls people make when trying to eliminate stink bugs from their homes and, more importantly, some helpful tips for keeping them out of your Greenville home!
On the internet, there are some pretty ingenious ideas for how to trap and remove stink bugs, and they definitely have merit. But if you don’t remove stink bugs properly, they can cause quite an unpleasant problem. When startled or crushed, stink bugs can release a strong, foul-smelling liquid that can linger inside the home. And the more stink bugs that get startled or crushed, the more of this unappealing odor you’ll have in your home. So you have to be smart about how you catch them. This is where those amazing contraptions come in!
While a vacuum is an extremely useful tool for getting rid of a lot of stink bugs all at once, it isn’t practical for ongoing removal. Every time you suck those bugs up, you have to remove the bag to avoid having the smell permeate through the vacuum bag and vacuum casing. A better solution is to cut a 2-liter soda bottle in half, turn the top upside down, and insert it into the bottom half. This creates a funnel that stink bugs fall down into and are unable to climb back out of. To attract stink bugs into this funnel, attach a battery-operated light to the bottom. You can use this device to capture stink bugs inside your home and this method doesn’t cause them to spray. After a few days of capturing those stink bugs, simply throw the bottle out.
For more large-scale stink bug trapping, many people have turned to this soda bottle, duct tape, and light method as well as sticky traps and other DIY methods. If done properly, these methods can help to remove enough stink bugs from your home so that you’re no longer overwhelmed. But they fail to fully eliminate the source of the problem.
What is the source of a stink bug problem? Usually, the source of stink bug infestations is a vulnerable exterior. Think about it. Somehow, those stink bugs are getting in. That means there has to be a gap or opening that they are crawling in through. And if you don’t seal your outside walls, they’re going to keep getting in. There are two ways to prevent stink bugs from getting in, one of which is something you can do on your own. And, if you’re fortunate, it may be all you have to do. This first step is performing an inspection of your home’s exterior. To accomplish this, do a detailed inspection of the outside of your home, sealing any gaps, holes, or cracks you find. Pay particular attention to the caulk around window frames and the weather stripping around doors, and be sure to check every inch from your foundation to the tip of your chimney. If you do this well, you may be able to keep stink bugs out.
The second step to keeping stink bugs out is to create a pest control barrier around your home that works to eliminate these bugs when they come to congregate on your walls and explore the perimeter of your home to find the entry points you’ve failed to seal. The best way to achieve this barrier is with routine pest control treatments from a pest control professional. At Spencer Pest Services, stink bugs are one of the over 20 pests covered by our residential pest control services. If you’ve been battling stink bugs in your home, maybe it’s time to invest in ongoing pest control service. What do we mean? Well, there are many pests that can bite, sting, and spread diseases to you and your family members. And if stink bugs can get into your home, you can be sure other pests will be able to as well. Once inside, these other pests can damage your belongings and they can damage the structure of your home itself. But ongoing pest control services protect your investments and help to prevent these diseases. Get protected today by partnering with us at Spencer Pest Services!