Stink bugs infesting homes across the U.S.
Stink bugs are infesting homes across the U.S. Stinks bugs can make their way into a home through the thinnest of openings. Once inside, it hides in curtain rods, walls, the attic, anywhere.
Stink bugs have earned their name from scent glands under their wings and abdomen. If the insect is disturbed, it can discharge a smell, to protect itself from predators. The aroma spreads when the wings move.
Experts believe the infestation is only going to get worse. Mike Raupp, a University of Maryland entomologist and extension specialist said “This is the vanguard, I think this is going to be biblical this year.” He also added “You’re going to hear a collective wail in the Washington area, up through Frederick and Allegany counties, like you’ve never heard before. The [bug] populations are just through the ceiling.”
The stink bug, approximately three-quarters of an inch long, was first discovered in the U.S. in eastern Pennsylvania in 1998, and has since spread widely across the country.
The dry, hot summer helped increase numbers for the stink bug, however the intrusive species’ numbers soared because they have no natural enemies to keep their numbers under control.
On warm sunny days the stink bug will assemble on the south and west sides of buildings where the sun is strongest, however as cooler weather kicks in they look for ways to enter homes through any crack or crevice.
Though the bugs damage crops, they are otherwise harmless to humans.
“otherwise harmless to humans” is false. Brown stinkbugs can bite. I was bitten twice by brown stinkbugs while I slept. They leave a pattern of seven welts that are much like mosquito bites. It seems they dig their feet into your skin while biting. I had two patterns of seven bites each. The bite patterns matched the shape and size of the stinkbugs I found in my bed. The bites took much longer to heal than mosquito bites.