get rid of stink bugs

Incredibly Easy Methods to Get Rid of Stink Bugs

You wish to get rid of stink bugs? When the colder months of the year arrive, they bring along with them more than the cold weather.  You’ll also notice more critters crawling and flying in your house as they seek food and shelter. Among these are stink bugs which, while they can’t bite, leave a foul stench whenever threatened or disturbed. A stink bug infestation can make your home inhabitable due to the odor caused by these pests.

This post explores stink bugs in detail, how to get rid of stink bugs using traps, repellents, sprays, electronic zappers, homemade tactics, and more.

The most Effective Methods to Get rid of Stink Bugs in 2022

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Best Stink Bugs Trap: Victor M383 Fly Magnet Replacement Bait - Fly Magnet Trap Attractant

This stink bug trap is one of the most effective ways to get rid of stink bugs. It rates high among stink bug removal solutions as it is poison-free and works for many pests, including stink bugs, ants, roaches, spiders, centipedes, silverfish, crickets, scorpions, and palmetto bugs. The trap package features a unique patented box design to allow placement in small, tight corners. Inside every box is a patented pheromone to lure nearby household insects. The trapped pests stick to the glue inside and die. This compound also captures nymphs and eggs of stink bugs to preventing future infestations. A package comes with 12 traps that you can place on multiple entry points for a higher catch rate. The traps are discreet and you can use them for every room in your house. Once an old trap fills up with stink bugs and other insects, discard it and set a new trap to continue trapping insects.

Best Electronic Stink Bugs Killers: Aspectek Powerful 20W Electronic Indoor Insect Killer

You can now leverage technology with this bug zapper, to kill stink bugs, flies, moths, mosquitoes, and other flying insects. The zapper features double UV light bulbs to attract bugs and high voltage metal grids (2,800 Voltage) which instantly kill any bugs that touch them. The mesh screen prevents any accidental contact for humans or pets. This insect zapper is chemical-free, and you don’t have to clean a mess of dead bugs. It is also easy to set up as it comes with a chain on top for you to hang the unit. You can also set it down on a solid surface. It is also simple to maintain. After some time, you can clean the removable plastic tray at the bottom of the bug zapper. This contains the dead insects, after which you should return the tray to its position. The electric grid is self-cleaning.

Best Bug Catcher: BugZooka WB100 Bug Catcher Vacuum

While most stink bug traps end up killing these pests, you can opt for this gentle option. The BugZooka WB100 Bug Catcher Vacuum is an exciting way to get rid of stink bugs in house. It works by suctioning any insects which you want to capture. The bugs are instantly drawn into a removable tube. The design boasts 10X the instant suction of battery-powered insect vacuums on the market. The lightweight device is similar to a torch in design and it’s a fun way for you to check nooks and crooks for bugs. It is simple to use, non-toxic and it makes pest removal fun. It is one of the few methods of stink bugs removal that kids will find interesting. If you have kids around, this device will make them busy and within no time, you’ll have no stink bug odor to worry about. The best thing about this bug catcher is that you can also use it for many other pests such as roaches and ants. You can then release the bugs away from your house.

Best Stink Bug Spray: Harris Bed Bug and Egg Killer Aerosol Spray

One problem most homeowners experience when fighting stink bugs is reaching cracks and crevices all over the house. Using a powerful stink bug spray solves this problem and allows you to find bugs in those hard-to-reach places. The Harris Bed Bug and Egg Killer Aerosol Spray rates highly due to its efficiency. It works on stink bugs and many other insects such as boxelder bugs, Asian lady beetles, carpenter ants, and other insects. The two-way spray nozzle makes it easy to apply in all areas while the extension tube provides pinpointed spray to reach the tiniest of cracks and crevices where baby stink bugs hide. You can use this aerosol spray for indoor and outdoor stink bugs removal. The odor-free and non-staining spray will which helps kill the bugs’ eggs to prevent future infestation.

Worth to mention: BUG-A-SALT 2.0

Another product worth to mention is BUG-A-SALT 2.0. You may have seen it on TV, this is a fun way to fight with your pests, using Salt! This is a shotgun spray. which uses regular table salt and decimates flies or stink bugs on contact. It comes with 1 year limited warranty, non toxic solution. When we tried it, we did find that it is kind of fun game to play!

Home Remedies for Removing Stink Bugs

Do-It-Yourself Solutions and Traps

Hot Water, Dish Soap, and White Vinegar 

Vinegar is one of the most effective insect killers and you can use it as a stink bug repellent.

  1. Mix two cups of hot water, a cup of white vinegar, and 1/2 cup of dish soap. Stir to get a smooth solution.
  2. Fill a spray bottle with the mixture and spray directly on stink bugs or in areas where they are most likely to hide.
  3. Use a broom to clean the dead bugs from your house.

Vacuum the Stink Bugs With a Shop-Vac

If you already have stink bugs in the house, using a shop-vac is an effective tactic to remove them. Avoid using your ordinary vacuum cleaner as the bugs will make it stinky. Once you use the shop-vac vacuum cleaner, dump the contents into a bag, tie it tightly and dispose them away from the house.

Seal Entry Points 

A simple way to prevent stink bugs in your home is to seal all entry points. Take time to inspect your house before the cold months behind chimneys, door frames, around electrical outlets and light fixtures, the siding, utility pipes, and underneath the wood fascia or other openings.

Seal any cracks, crevices, and holes using high-quality silicone or silicone-latex caulk.

Drown Stink Bugs in Dish Soap-Mixed Water

  • Identify the room with most stink bugs
  • Fill a wide pan with soapy water and place it in the room
  • Set a small light over the water pan
  • Stink bugs are attracted to light and many of them will end up falling into the soapy water and drowning.

What Kind Of Spray Will Help?

The best spray to repel and kill stink bugs should contain vinegar. You can easily prepare a mixture of vinegar and water and spray these bugs and their hiding areas. This spray repels and kills the smelly bugs. Use this spray repeatedly in different rooms or whenever you notice these bugs.

Interesting Facts about Stink Bugs

  • They release a smell to frighten predators that smells like coriander through small holes in their abdomen
  • Originally from China, Japan, and Taiwan, stink bugs accidentally landed in the United States in shipping containers.
  • Don’t worry about a stink bugs bite as they have mouthparts that suck sap and juice from plant material.
  • Males use vibrational signals to communicate with females
  • A single stink bug can lay 400 eggs
  • The stink bug’s smell contains pheromones that attract other stink bugs

How to Prevent

Stink Bugs

  • Repair all cracks and crevices around your home’s foundation and siding.
  • Replace window and door screens with holes or tears.
  • Seal areas around air conditioners and other utility entrances
  • Use a tight-fitting cap on your chimney
  • Use yellow bulbs or sodium-vapor lights which don’t attract insects

FAQ

Stink bugs are native to Japan, China, South Korea, and Taiwan. They were first discovered in northern Pennsylvania in 1998 and have since then spread across the country. They are agricultural pests attracted to areas with many fruit and vegetables.

They end up in homes in late summer to hide away during the cold months of the year. They enter homes through soffits, attics, cracks, crevices, gaps, and holes on walls and foundations, window and door frames, and underneath siding.

Stink bugs feed on leaves, fruit, and vegetables such as cherries, grapes, pears, peppers, apples, apricots, lima beans, peaches, and tomatoes, flowers, and crops like soybeans. They also eat other smaller pests, such as caterpillars.

Use an electronic zapper, aerosol spray or homemade remedies such as vinegar solution to spray the bugs.

Soap water solution, vacuuming the bugs, using a commercial aerosol spray or electronic zappers.

Seal all entry points in your areas, clear any bushes around your house, seal your chimney, repair, and caulk cracks on walls and foundation.

Adult stink bugs live for about 6-8 months.

You can try odor-control products from the stores. You should also air the room out and scrub hard the area where you’ve squished the bug.

Drown them using a soapy water trap.

Stink bugs are attracted to light and warm living spaces during winter

You can try yellow bulbs, Switch to LED lights, Invest in a bug zapper, or place pungent spices around the porch.

No. Stink bugs have mouths structured to suck plant sap and can’t pierce, sting, or bite through human skin.