WASHINGTON — They’re the unexpected visitors that arrived a few years ago and never left. And it’s about the time of year when stink bugs are suddenly everywhere.
But apparently this year, fewer stink bugs will make a return.
“We don’t really know whether it was the polar vortex or whether some of the indigenous natural enemies have put the beat down on these guys,” says University of Maryland entomologist Mike Raupp.
Cool weather sends a signal to the bugs to find winter shelter, which Raupp says is naturally under the bark of dead trees.
“Stink bugs think someone’s house with loose shutters or siding looks like a dead tree, and that’s why they’re coming into people’s houses,” he says.
Anything that you can do to make your home more energy-efficient will help keep stink bugs from sneaking in.
“Make sure all entry points, doors and walk-outs where utilities go in and out are sealed, and improve your caulk,” Raupp says.
Also, he suggests going up into the attic and installing window screens behind ventilation points.
Those stink bug-catching contraptions hanging from your neighbors’ trees actually work, Raupp says.
“Many of these stink bug traps are highly effective at capturing and killing stink bugs so you will collect many,” Raupp says.
But he cautions gardeners against putting the traps too close to vegetables or fruits.
“We call it trap spillover — we see the same thing with Japanese beetle traps. If you put these near the crops you’re trying to protect, some of these bugs, while they’re milling around waiting to jump in the trap and die, will snack on your tomatoes, and you really don’t want that,” he says.
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- Tips on getting rid of those stinking stink bugs
- Get ready for the return of stink bugs
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