Stink bugs – those small shield-shaped insects that, once squashed, come by their name honestly – are on on the move in Kentucky. Several species of these pesky invaders are common in the state, but the brown marmorated stink bug is most important now because its mission is to find winter shelter.
Although a significant problem for farmers and gardeners from spring through summer, the pest impacts all Kentuckians in the fall. Adult bugs seek shelter in homes, barns and sheds as they try to find overwintering sites. The best way to keep them from coming inside is by sealing cracks around windows, doors, siding, utility pipes, behind chimneys, underneath the wood fascia and other openings. A good-quality silicone or silicone-latex caulk should fit the bill. The same things homeowners would do to reduce heating bills can also help keep many bugs out.
If stink bugs do get inside, homeowners who smash the bugs will find out quickly where they got their name. The bugs produce a stain and an unpleasant odor when squashed. A vacuum cleaner is the best tool to collect live and dead bugs. However, the vacuum may smell like the stink bugs for a while.
“We don’t advise using insecticides after stink bugs have gained access to wall voids or attic areas,” said University of Kentucky entomologist Lee Townsend. “While insecticidal dust treatments to the voids may kill hundreds of bugs, it may create a situation where carpet beetles will feed on dead stink bugs and then attack woolens, stored dry goods and other natural products around the home.”
Although aerosol-type pyrethrum foggers will kill stink bugs in living areas, Townsend said they will not prevent more of the insects from emerging shortly after the room is aerated. For this reason, he doesn’t recommend using these materials as a solution to long-term management of the problem. The same goes for spray insecticides, directed into cracks and crevices. They will not prevent the bugs from emerging and are not a viable treatment.
The brown marmorated stink bug, an invasive insect from Asia, was first discovered in Kentucky in 2010. Since then, its army has steadily marched across the state and is now present in at least 50 counties.
From UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment