It's all in the name: These bugs stink
For some people, one of the less desirable things about fall is that insects start making their way indoors as temperatures begin to drop. Among the bugs trying to take shelter in your home until spring are stink bugs.
If you're in the habit of squishing bugs you find around the house, you might want to think twice if you spy a flat, brown bug hiding out indoors. There’s a good chance it’s a stink bug, and their name is no accident.
Stink bugs emit a bad-smelling chemical when they are threatened or crushed. The odor is hard to describe. People say it smells like anything from cilantro to the stink of skunk spray.
The smell a stink bug produces serves the same purpose as a skunk's stinky spray. Stink bugs don't bite or sting, so that foul-smelling secretion is how they protect themselves. They have special glands in their thorax that are filled with the stinky secretion, and when threatened, the bugs can release it.
Stink bugs are officially called brown marmorated stink bugs. They are native to Asia, but they've been in the United States since the 1990s.
Stink bugs likely made their way to North America as stowaways on a shipping container. Today, they can be found in 44 U.S. states and four Canadian provinces. In other words, they are likely here to stay.
Mainly just a nuisance
The good news is stink bugs don't pose any threat to you or your home. They don't bite, and they don't carry diseases. They're mostly just a nuisance, especially because of their smell. However, in some states, they can damage crops like soybeans, sweet corn, tomatoes and fruits.
Stink bugs overwinter as adults. We start to see them in our homes around this time of year because they won't survive the winter outdoors.
Words to know
Glands: An organ, cell or group of cells producing a secretion. Nuisance: Something annoying or offensive.
Secretion: A substance that fulfills a function in an organism that produces it.
Thorax: The portion of an insect’s body between the head and abdomen.
In the fall, they make their way into homes and other buildings, usually hiding out in safe spaces like attics. While indoors, they do move around from place to place, but they don't eat or breed until they move back outdoors in the spring.
Keeping the stink at bay
Even though stink bugs won't cause you any harm, many of us would rather not find these bugs in our homes. The best way to avoid finding them inside is not giving them a way to get in in the first place.
To keep them out, adults can caulk around crevices and cracks around the outside of your home. Chimneys and air vents should be covered with protective screens.
There’s also an eco-friendly repellent spray that can be used indoors around any cracks and crevices. It can be made by combining three-quarters of a cup of Dawn dishwashing soap with 4 cups of hot water and shaking until the mixture is well blended.
If stink bugs have already made their way in, you can gently remove them by hand and place them outside. Just remember not to step on or squish any stink bugs you find — unless you're ready to endure their off-putting smell for a while.
