# Stink bugs!



## NortheastAl (Sep 11, 2013)

It's that time of year when the stink bugs invade us. They stay around till spring inside the house. Just saw two by the front door waiting to get in. 

Anyone have them, and/or know how to deal with them?


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## Backwoods Savage (Sep 11, 2013)

Which stink bugs do you have there Al?


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## jharkin (Sep 11, 2013)

We get them bad every fall - western conifer seed bugs.  My wife absolutely hates the things.  No way I know of to rid of them completely as they seem to get in through the tiniest of cracks despite their large size.


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## bmblank (Sep 11, 2013)

Holy chit, these things infuriate me. My previous house was pole barn construction so it was horrible. Hopefully the new house is better.
My wife hears they don't like lavender oil. Surrounding the house with lavender plants is supposed to go a long ways to stopping them.
I wouldn't know. I just know that i have to be careful opening shed doors and whatnot. opened and walked through the basement door one day (before the house was finished), had a bunch fall on me.... I was pretty much stripped naked and shaking out my clothes I'm a matter of seconds...


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## JOHN BOY (Sep 11, 2013)

I try to make sure the doors area's are sealed up very good . get  that expandable foam , you can spray in the smallest of cracks and little holes . . makes sure you get the blue can  ( window foam )


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## NortheastAl (Sep 11, 2013)

Backwoods Savage said:


> Which stink bugs do you have there Al?







Brown marmorated stink bug

Halyomorpha halys, also known as the brown marmorated stink bug, or simply the stink bug, is an insect in the family Pentatomidae, and it is native to Korea and Taiwan. Wikipedia
Scientific name: Halyomorpha halys


Dennis, this is the bad boy. Nasty things.


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## NortheastAl (Sep 11, 2013)

bmblank said:


> Holy chit, these things infuriate me. My previous house was pole barn construction so it was horrible. Hopefully the new house is better.
> My wife hears they don't like lavender oil. Surrounding the house with lavender plants is supposed to go a long ways to stopping them.
> I wouldn't know. I just know that i have to be careful opening shed doors and whatnot. opened and walked through the basement door one day (before the house was finished), had a bunch fall on me.... I was pretty much stripped naked and shaking out my clothes I'm a matter of seconds...


This year they are worse than ever before. I saw the infants crawling all over a leaf last week in the town next to us. I'm going to investigate lavender. We started using these Balsam oil tea bag type things and peppermint oil to keep the field  mice out. Last year the mice drove us crazy. Tried traps, sonic electronic things and poison. Now, we use all of that plus the essential oils. We will see how that works when it gets cold.


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## NortheastAl (Sep 11, 2013)

JOHN BOY said:


> I try to make sure the doors area's are sealed up very good . get  that expandable foam , you can spray in the smallest of cracks and little holes . . makes sure you get the blue can  ( window foam )


I have to check again this year. The damn things are waiting just outside the door, like they know it is going to open.


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## Ehouse (Sep 12, 2013)

You've got two different critters there.  jharkin's is the one we get.  Al's is a different species.  Both are home invaders though.


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## bmblank (Sep 12, 2013)

I've got the big horse faced space dogs. I also liveon 10 acres of planted red pine, do there's probably a correlation between pine and those bastar....


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## Adios Pantalones (Sep 12, 2013)

jharkin said:


> We get them bad every fall - western conifer seed bugs.  My wife absolutely hates the things.  No way I know of to rid of them completely as they seem to get in through the tiniest of cracks despite their large size.


I believe that's a leaf footed bug.


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## bmblank (Sep 12, 2013)

To me it's a horse faced space dog...


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## gzecc (Sep 12, 2013)

They seem to be very temperature sensitive. I wait for cool evenings, when they dissappear(they go into my attic) then I bomb the attic. Its a slaughter house up there. Carcasses every where.


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## jharkin (Sep 12, 2013)

Adios Pantalones said:


> I believe that's a leaf footed bug.



Well maybe the wiki article i stole the picture form is wrong?

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


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## NortheastAl (Sep 12, 2013)

Adios Pantalones said:


> I believe that's a leaf footed bug.


Yes, it is.


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## NortheastAl (Sep 12, 2013)

jharkin said:


> Well maybe the wiki article i stole the picture form is wrong?
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_conifer_seed_bug


It's in the same family.


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## NortheastAl (Sep 12, 2013)

Okay, I went to our local Agway this morning and got some of their branded spray that has a "Kills Stinkbugs" sticker on it. I just finished spraying the foundation and up about three feet on the foundation. I didn't see any Stinkbugs today. I read if you squish them the nasty smell keeps other Stinkbugs away. I happened to nail one the other day by the front door while flicking it off the frame. 

I have no idea if this will work. Any other suggestions will be seriously considered.


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## woodgeek (Sep 12, 2013)

The marmorated ones started in Allentown PA, and got down here philly way about 7-8 years ago.

Since I airsealed my house, a LOT fewer of them.  Yet another reason to airseal.


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## Gary_602z (Sep 12, 2013)

NortheastAl said:


> View attachment 111274
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Heck Dennis splits them vertically and stacks them for 3 years!

Gary


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## NortheastAl (Sep 12, 2013)

woodgeek said:


> The marmorated ones started in Allentown PA, and got down here philly way about 7-8 years ago.
> 
> Since I airsealed my house, a LOT fewer of them.  Yet another reason to airseal.


I had read that. It was only about 10 years ago when they were discovered, and they spread that quickly up the east coast. 

I guess sealing a home is probably the best way, but don't you want the house to breathe a little?


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## NortheastAl (Sep 12, 2013)

Gary_602z said:


> Heck Dennis splits them vertically and stacks them for 3 years!
> 
> Gary


But they have an awful smell when burned.


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## Backwoods Savage (Sep 12, 2013)

NortheastAl said:


> View attachment 111274
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> 
> 
> ...



Oh ya, nasty buggers they are.


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## Backwoods Savage (Sep 12, 2013)

jharkin said:


> We get them bad every fall - western conifer seed bugs.  My wife absolutely hates the things.  No way I know of to rid of them completely as they seem to get in through the tiniest of cracks despite their large size.



Jeremy, these are what we have always called pine bugs. Tick them off and they give off a pine smell but it is a super strong smell. When we find them in the house (every fall) we grab them by the feelers and put them out. No smell this way. Grab them by a leg though.....


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## Gary_602z (Sep 12, 2013)

Backwoods Savage said:


> Jeremy, these are what we have always called pine bugs. Tick them off and they give off a pine smell but it is a super strong smell. When we find them in the house (every fall) we grab them by the feelers and put them out. No smell this way. Grab them by a leg though.....



When I grab the wife by her "feelers" she puts up a big stink! YMMV

Gary


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## Hearth Mistress (Sep 12, 2013)

A few teaspoons of neem oil (sold at hardware and landscaping supply stores) in a spray bottle is a natural repellant for your doorways and window sills. Lysol, pinesol or any other scents in the pine/mint family work too.  Last resort, Ivory or Dawn dish soap (NOT the anti bacteria stuff) works too but not as well as the neem oil solution


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## NortheastAl (Sep 13, 2013)

Hearth Mistress said:


> A few teaspoons of neem oil (sold at hardware and landscaping supply stores) in a spray bottle is a natural repellant for your doorways and window sills. Lysol, pinesol or any other scents in the pine/mint family work too.  Last resort, Ivory or Dawn dish soap (NOT the anti bacteria stuff) works too but not as well as the neem oil solution


I have neem oil but didn't think of it for this problem. These Stinkbugs are resistant to many insecticides, so I thought the neem oil would not work. I will give the peppermint oil a shot as I need to keep the mice out as well. 

Thanks, Jeni Marie. Appreciate the help.


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## Stegman (Sep 13, 2013)

We get those like crazy too, but they don't really bother us. They have to be among the least annoying bugs anywhere. They move so slowly it's kind of amusing.


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## NortheastAl (Sep 24, 2013)

I was looking pretty good since I sprayed the house and foundation. I opened the wood stove door to look inside because I thought I saw a stain on the firebrick. What I found was a lot of Stinkbugs. It was cold this morning so they'd moved slowly. Must have had about 10 on the air wash at the top of the door frame. More on the inside. Picked them off with a paper towel and flushed them down the toilet. They are probably following the warm house air from the draft in the flue at night and flying down to the stove. Shocking to see so many in there. Did not look in the flue to see if they are stuck on the sides. . Looks like tonight is as good as any night to have the first fire of the season.


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## Adios Pantalones (Sep 24, 2013)

NortheastAl said:


> I was looking pretty good since I sprayed the house and foundation. I opened the wood stove door to look inside because I thought I saw a stain on the firebrick. What I found was a lot of Stinkbugs. It was cold this morning so they'd moved slowly. Must have had about 10 on the air wash at the top of the door frame. More on the inside. Picked them off with a paper towel and flushed them down the toilet. They are probably following the warm house air from the draft in the flue at night and flying down to the stove. Shocking to see so many in there. Did not look in the flue to see if they are stuck on the sides. . Looks like tonight is as good as any night to have the first fire of the season.


No death by fire?


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## NortheastAl (Sep 24, 2013)

Adios Pantalones said:


> No death by fire?


That's what tonight is for. Too warm right now. I'm guessing there are enough in the flue even now.


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## n3pro (Sep 24, 2013)

We get them here though not near as bad as other places I go at work.  We get them much worse up at the cabin.  They are some of the oddest insects IMO.  We were working on a house in New Cumberland, PA last week and they were pretty bad there.  I've tried a few things, think they're dead because they are on their back and not moving but in the morning they're gone so obviously not.  They seem to be good at playing dead.


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## NortheastAl (Sep 24, 2013)

Lit the stove tonight for the first time this season. There were a few stinkers that started running around then flew into the flames of the kindling. Hoping their active season is almost over.


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