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About Stink Bugs
About Stink Bugs
Stink bugs are one of the many creatures that rely on glandular smells to help keep them safe. While they are pretty unique looking, stink bugs are relatively common throughout the United States. If you are curious about stink bugs or have a stink bug infestation, continue reading to learn more about them and how to get rid of them.
Appearance
Stink bugs are very easy to identify visually because of their interesting body shape. Their bodies look like a shield or police badge shape. They have six legs, and the ones towards the back of their abdomen are the largest. These insects have straight antennas with dark and light brown segments throughout them. They are about half an inch long in most cases, so they are easily visible to the naked eye. Most stink bugs are light or dark brown in color. When they are young, stink bugs have yellow and red bodies with red eyes. At this young stage, they are called nymphs.
Behavior
Perhaps the most unique characteristic of a stink bug’s behavior is their tendency to emit a foul-smelling odor when they feel threatened, as this is supposed to keep predators at bay. These insects are fairly dormant except for the months between May and October, as this is when you will be the most likely to encounter the smelly insects.
Most species of stink bugs eat virtually any plant they can find and do significant damage if they are given enough time. Female stink bugs spend a lot of their time protecting their young when they are still in eggs. Finding a good spot to raise their young is one of the reasons that stink bugs enter into buildings.
Habitat
Stink bugs prefer to live close to their food source, so their habitat can vary wildly. During the warm months, you will often find stink bugs roaming around flower gardens, grassy fields, crop fields, vegetable gardens, and many other similar places. When winter starts getting closer, stink bugs start to focus on finding a warm spot to live during the cold months. In nature, they will likely be living in a variety of habitats, some of the most common being beneath rocks, old, rotten trees, or inside of caves or cracks in rocks. In homes and buildings, they will try to find a cozy spot to nest.
Damage They Cause
Stink bugs are synonymous with crop, vegetable, and plant damage. If you have a garden or a field, you have likely noticed stink bug damage before. When these insects suck the juice out of plants, their saliva kills some of the plant tissue in that immediate area of the plant.
If they do it enough, it can destroy a plant beyond recovery. If the bug gets inside of your house or garage, they will not really cause any damage. They will not damage your home or spread diseases. They will more than likely just be a constant source of annoyance as they roam throughout your house and possessions.
Infestation Signs
Since stink bugs do not cause any damage to your home or belongings, the only way to determine if you have an infestation is to look for the bug itself. If you see several live or dead stink bugs in your home or garage, it is a good bet that you may have an infestation on your hands. If you think you may have a problem, you should check any parts of your house that receive lots of sunlight, as they like to warm themselves in these areas. If you are looking for infestation signs in your garden, look for the distinctive damage they cause to leaves and stems.
How to Get Rid of Them
Now that you have found out you have a stink bug problem in your home, you need to take care of it so they do not grow into a massive problem. If you have found an area with a large concentration of the bugs, you can vacuum them up and discard them in whatever manner you want. Another way to take care of them is to use a human and pet-safe pesticide in areas that you have found them. If it is too big of an infestation, you might be better off calling a professional pest control expert, as they can put their years of experience to work for you.
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Pest Information is a non-profit organization, offers pest control resources, as well as bug and insect pictures, information, facts, and more.
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