Why Are Stink Bugs in Your House? 5 Things You’re Doing to Attract Them

While stink bugs are harmless creatures, they can be annoying to find around your home since, as their name suggests, they release a foul smell when injured or threatened. The best kind of pest control you can do for these insects is to prevent them from entering your home in the first place. 

What Attracts Stink Bugs

Stink bugs are attracted to warmth, food, and shelter, especially during the cooler months when they need a warm place to overwinter and hibernate.

Once a stink bug enters a home, it will produce pheromones to attract other stink bugs and communicate it has found shelter. This is why when you find one stink bug, there are usually more hidden nearby.

You may not think your habits attract stink bugs to your home, but even small things can make your home welcoming to these insects. 

Outdoor vents

Stink bugs look for the warmest places when the weather turns cool. Sometimes, that leads them to outdoor vents where warm air blows. Then, the stink bugs follow the warmth through your venting system directly into your home.   

Overgrown Grass and Shrubs

If you’re behind on your mowing and trimming, you may not think this affects insects getting into your home, but stink bugs love the safety of overgrown grass and vegetation.

The long grass will make stink bugs feel safer making the journey across your yard. Stink bugs also seek the protection of bushes and shrubs and when these plants are overgrown up against your home, it’s easier for the stink bugs to find openings in your house’s foundation or siding. 

Light

Stink bugs, like many insects, are attracted to light and will gather near lamps and porch lights at night.

Even light peeking through blinds at night can draw the bugs closer to your home and exterior windows, where they may find a way inside through cracks and crevices. The bugs are attracted to multiple kinds of light, including white, yellow, blue, and UV black light.  

Unsealed Cracks and Crevices 

Stink bugs are constantly looking for shelter, which means the cracks and holes in your home’s siding or utility pipes are very welcoming to stink bugs. Check for cracks, holes, and crevices around entry points, window and door screens, the roof, and along exterior walls.    

How to Get Rid of Stink Bugs

You can try many methods to get rid of stink bugs, from vacuuming to essential oils. But in general, you’ll want to avoid squishing these bugs since they emit a foul smell when they are injured. 

To avoid dealing with smelly odors, follow these steps to make a homemade trap that will eliminate these pesky insects in your home. 

1. Fill a 9×13-inch pan with dish soap and water. Place it in a room where you’ve seen stink bugs or near an entry point. 
2. Put a light over the pan and turn off any other lights. 
3. The light will attract stink bugs to the soapy water and they’ll drown.
4. Pour out any dead bugs outside and replace the soapy water as needed. 

Tips for Keeping Stink Bugs Away From Your Home

• Seal off entry points. Replace cracked seals with caulk around doors and windows. Check for any openings near your roof and attic since stink bugs often congregate there. Fix screens if they have holes. 
• Install screens or traps near your outdoor vents. To avoid stink bugs finding a warm passage into your home, place screens or traps near vent openings so the bugs are stopped before they find a way inside. 
• Minimize outdoor lighting. Stink bugs are attracted to light and will flock to porch lights or lamps illuminating from your windows at night. Turn off your outdoor lights overnight and use window blinds or shades to minimize indoor light shining outside. 
• Reduce yard clutter. Stink bugs prefer outdoor shaded areas, so keeping a yard free of clutter will minimize places where stink bugs can take refuge on your property. 
• Trim your lawn and landscaping. Keeping your bushes, shrubs, and grass neat and trim keeps the growth away from your home and prevents stink bugs from finding entrances around the exterior of your home.
• Move your garden further away from your home. Because stink bugs are attracted to fruits and vegetables, a garden is a popular gathering spot for stink bugs. To avoid insects from traveling into your home, keep your garden at least a couple of feet away from your exterior walls. 

Source: thespruce.com

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