Stink bugs - yuck!!

[lynnfrommars]

I know this is not really a M.S. problem, but when you have M.S., sometimes any issue is a problem that becomes worse when you are dealing with it WITH M.S.......
So let me vent for a second. We have sucked thousands of those buggers down the vacuum cleaner hose. AND have made a substantial dent in the stink bug population in Mars, PA. BUT now we are having guests come for an overnight stay, and once again, I am freaking out and having to eradicate every blasted one of them before our guests get here. (that is the name of my new company - Stinkbug Eradicators, Inc. of which I elected myself CEO.)
So are there any "new" remedies to get rid of them? My vacuum cleaner will smell of stinkbugs for at least 6 months!
I am so sick of them! Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

[knuckle]

Is that what those little things are floating on my computer screen when visiting this forum?

Spray a diluted mixture of Dawn diswashing liquid around doors, windows, screens, etc. Works for us.

[jamilea]

I totally know what you mean. A week ago, my husband came home to bugs killed all over the carpets, towels and duct tape on our windows and air conditioning units. When he turned on the units, the smell of Raid filled the room.

I am not banned from using bug spray of any kind Having sensory disturbances has definitely made being around any critters unnerving for me.

I hate those darn stink bugs! Since they came over supposedly on a coal train or something, can we send them to the Bermuda triangle as well as cockroaches to get rid of them?

[jazzgirl]

They are nasty little suckers, aren't they? They're great little reproducers, too! You just can't get rid of them.

Good thing is, they're slow. They're easy to kill, but that's where the smell comes in. I have Orkin come in every 3 mos. and do the outside of my house, but it doesn't make a difference when it comes to those dang beetles! My grandsons love to do a "search" for them on my enclosed back porch.....but I'm responsible for the "destroy" part! . I can't walk, but I can still get down on the floor and suck them up in my trusty little Shark vac...they love it! (the boys, not the bugs ).

Seriously, though, global travel is responsible for many of the "ickies" that have made it here today. The only things that will kill them are pesticides that are no longer used as they're carcinogenic to humans. SOOOO....we're stuck with the bugs.

[jamilea]

I read in the news for some university that scientists are working on a fix for these stink bugs, and that people could import a natural enemy. That could be risky though too if the natural enemy decides to become our enemy too

[jazzgirl]

Oh "fanned", honey! Every time they try to fix a situation they usually make it worse.

[newme]

DIL and I both have a "stink bug jar". It is actually an old vitamin bottle that we catch the stinkers in. They then permeate in their own stink until they die. About once a week I then flush them. The jar smells horrible but at least the stink is contained.

The soapy water didn't work for me.

[lynnfrommars]

Stink bugs - "they're back...."


With the return of warmer weather in Mars, PA....I expect today will be a return of those blasted stink bugs in record numbers...we had a brief cold spell for a little while and I only caught two of them in a week - but I knew my delight would only be brief with the return of temps in the 70's this weekend. I know they tempted me with the promise of something that would permanently get rid of them, but it would not be coming on the market for about 2 YEARS.
What's that all about??? I will go nuts in TWO YEARS!!!!!
I tried the dawn thing, and read all the online "get rid of stink bugs guaranteed" - I have flushed and vacummed at least a million of them to their death...auggh...help!!!

[rdmc]

Wow...I learned something new today. I had to google stink bug because I had no idea what you guys were talking about.

We don't seem to have them in our area. We might have palmetto bugs (humongous cockroaches) as big as mice, but no stink bugs.

We do have love bugs...are there love bugs up north?

[lynnfrommars]

love bugs????

I don't know but keep them away from Pittsburgh...

[rdmc]

I don't know but keep them away from Pittsburgh...

Ah, I guess lovebugs are a southeastern US phenomenon. They evidently like the Gulf Coast. They don't get indoors, but there are hordes of them on the highways and they really mess up your car.

The name is due to the fact that once they mate, they stay attached for several days, so instead of one "love bug"....you usually encounter two "love bugs." Here's a wiki article...photo of a "pair" is included.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lovebug

[wkikta]

I remember the year there were no love bugs in Florida, the Glades had frozen that winter. It took almost a year for them to come back in force, then it was like they had never left.

[celloyogi]

Really sticky tape, sticky side up, in the areas where the stinkbugs hang out the most. Eventually they'll land on it/walk over it and you can just roll up the bug-covered tape and toss it in the trash. Same idea as the sticky mouse traps but *much* less expensive.

And if you're vacuuming, I suggest using a wet/dry canister vac and using the wet set-up (so no bag). Put the stinkbug kill powder - whatever you're using - in the canister to kill anything you vacuum and let the canister sit overnight after you vacuum for maximum off-ing.

I don't have a stingbug issue, but every summer when we open up our cottage upstate, we have to deal with various wasp nests. The shop vac is the way to go. We prop the hose up right next to the nest, and have a long-distance switch to turn it on once we've gotten far enough away to avoid any ticked-off insects. Provides an afternoon of entertainment (literally, on the porch with a few longnecks and burgers on the grill).

[Anomalie]

Here in Mid-Michigan...
box elder bugs are the 'house invaders'!

Elongated bodies (dark) with a visible reddish 'V' on its back.
They started showing up about five years ago around here.
Hoards of 'em! Hundreds of thousands at a time cover the sidewalks...then the last couple of years they are getting inside!
I vacuum them up and away...

Does anyone know of a better way that might work to keep them outta the house?

[Pharm Girl]

Here in Mid-Michigan...
box elder bugs are the 'house invaders'!

Elongated bodies (dark) with a visible reddish 'V' on its back.
They started showing up about five years ago around here.
Hoards of 'em! Hundreds of thousands at a time cover the sidewalks...then the last couple of years they are getting inside!
I vacuum them up and away...

Does anyone know of a better way that might work to keep them outta the house?

Anomalie - I feel your pain! They've already started here - central Wisconsin. Unfortunately for us, this is the only bug that the cats won't eat!