How to Get Rid of Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

As with all pests, this stink bug with a terrible odor will often go unnoticed under the more established pests such as cockroaches and flies. Until a few years ago, not many people knew of this bug and its existence. However, now it has become a bother, especially to homeowners with gardens or fields in their homes. Thus, learning how to control the brown marmorated stink bug is critical.

These distinctive critters often find their way into homes when winter is closer. They use the warmth of the house to hibernate and then will come out and make their way to your garden to wreak havoc. You can also suffer from the brown marmorated stink bug bite during the period when they are hiding out in your house.

The stink bug has a distinctive appearance, with a tiny head and broad thorax region that look like broad shoulders. Their chitinous shell is shaped like a shield, giving the bug a kind of teardrop shape. They look unpleasant and have an equally unpleasant smell. The bugs will often release this horrible smell whenever they feel threatened. As such, you will need to be careful with how you get rid of them from your home.

The stink bugs are a danger to gardens as they use their proboscis to puncture fruits, vegetables, or grapes and suck the juice out of them. As such, methods on how to get rid of them are becoming quite popular.

The brown marmorated stink bug bite does not harm us. While you will experience pain and swelling, there is otherwise no other significant effect of the bite. But what makes this bug a menace is that it is a substantial cause for substantial losses when you consider your crops and gardens.

So, ever wonder, "What are these bugs in my bathroom" or "How do you make sure that you do not have these bugs in your house"?

Seek Prevention as As A Control Method

As we have established, the brown marmorated stink bug is a critter that will lead to many significant losses when they invade you. And then there is the obnoxious stink that accompanies it, which is probably the more reason why you should quickly learn how to get rid of it. 

While you can use the means of other pests on the stink bug, the pest is likely to leave you with its terrible odor, which only gets worse when you kill it. Or when your device has a method of getting rid of it that fails to drive them away. The stink bug releases that stink when it feels threatened.

So, begin by learning how you can prevent the bug from making its way into your home.

• Seal Potential Entry Points

The brown marmorated stink bugs, often mistaken for Boxelder bugs, can be a nuisance to your home.  One of the ways how you can use to control the population of the stink bug or even get rid of them completely from your home is to make your home either proof to them or inhospitable to them, which makes the brown marmorated stink bug not want to come into your house.

First, start by using mesh screening over openings such as the fireplace and air vents. Also, seal any holes on the screens that already exist.

You can also use high-grade silicon to seal cracks in the walls or doors.

• Use Repellents

Using the sense of smell against them is also another effective way of prevention and another way of how you can get rid of them. You could crush some of the brown marmorated stink bugs outside. Their odor will act as a deterrent to the other pests, as it will give them a warning that danger lies ahead.

You can also use scented dryer sheets on your doors as the bugs really don’t like that smell and will avoid your home altogether.

Another way of using scents is to use garlic. The bugs despise that smell. So, place bits of garlic in places that the pests will most probably use to access your house. These areas will be on doors, windows, around the fireplace, and in the chimneys.

Alternatively, you can also crush the garlic and mix it with water, then spray them on the points of entry.

Another way of using smell to rid your house of the bug is by using mint. This method will also work well if you cannot stand the strong aroma of garlic. You can use either of two ways.

One way is that you can mix peppermint oil mixed with water in a spray container. Spray on the points of entry. The brown marmorated stink bugs will walk away once they catch the smell. Another way you can use the mint leaves directly. You can crush them up. Then, dip them in water and let the solution mix properly. Once this happens, then spray in the places as we have mentioned.

The prevention method is likely the best way that you can use to drive the stink bugs out of your property. Well, prevention is always better overall. But with the case of this stink bug, you bet that this method would be of more significant benefit way of keeping the brown marmorated stink bugs away from your house.

But perhaps, prevention does not work, and you find that you now have to deal with them indoors.

• Wash your Plants

Washing your plants is another example of how you can get rid of the brown marmorated stink bug from your garden, where they feed, then come to hide out in your house.

You could spray them directly off the plant using your water spray. Alternatively, if you want to kill them, you could mix the water with a little detergent. The soap will dehydrate them and lead to their death.

You could also use the water with vegetable oil, olive oil, and lavender oil, which will also kill the brown marmorated stink bug.

• Weed Your Garden Well

The stink bugs will almost always come through the weed before they move to the juicier crops. By merely weeding your plants well, you will be able to control the pests better.

Alternatively, you could also plant crops to distract the stink bugs. Experts say that the color yellow often attracts insects. So, away from your central garden, you could plant yellow crops that will attract the bugs away from your garden or home.

However, this method of brown marmorated stink bug control would only work to keep them from your garden. Once they need a place to hide, if your house is the closest, well, then you need to back up your plan.

Indoor Ways of Stink Bug Control

Once you realize that you have an infestation of stink bugs in your house, there is no reason to panic. However, before we go into ways in which you can get rid of them, perhaps we should go through what you should not do when they are in your house.

What Not to do

• Do Not Touch the Stink Bug

Once you get them in your house, it might be tempting to want to get rid of the brown marmorated stink bugs fast. And one way would be to catch them and throw them outside. You get rid of them directly. After all, insects lack the speed of a cockroach, so you might as well, right?

No. Your hand should get nowhere on the brown stink bug. Unless, of course, you want that dreadful smell on your fingers. And one thing with its fragrance is that it will stay on your skin for days, and no amount of washing will get rid of it.

As such, ensure that you do not be tempted to touch the brown marmorated stink bug. While we are still on that -

• Do Not crush Them Inside the House.

This Crushing is perhaps one of the most straightforward ways to get rid of the critters. However, while it may work for other insects, do you think you will want the terrible stink lingering in your house for days, weeks, or even months? Probably not.

So, avoid crushing the brown marmorated stink bug in your house no matter how bothersome they become.

• Do Not Spray Insecticide On The Stink Bug

Spraying insecticide is probably one of the most effective ways of the brown marmorated stink bug control. Finding one that works effectively is even better. Yet, you should also not do this in your house.

There is the apparent precaution of the health hazards that come with spraying a pesticide in your house. However, when you spray the stink bugs with the insecticide, then what happens is that you will attract other pests, which are attracted to the smell of the dead stink bugs. One of these pests is the carpet bug, which will end up damaging other things inside the house. So, essentially, you will be trading pests.

So, to keep away potential unwanted guests, do not let your house be home to the stink of the ugly sight of these bugs with a terrible case of body odor.

Now that we have looked at the don’t, let us look at ways that you can use to control the bugs that will be best suited to be of effect within and outside your abode.

What To Do

• Use Containers to Trap The Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs

If you must use your hands, then ensure that you have a container that you will use to trap them, as well as a plastic bag to use to help them inside.

These bugs are slow, unlike the others. As such, you will be able to catch plenty of them. Once you find them, then you can then flush them down the toilet. If winter has already set it, then you can throw them outside, where they will freeze to death.

• Use Soapy Water

Another way of how to get rid of the brown marmorated stink bugs is to use soap and water. This method works such that, when the insects come into contact with the solution, the detergents break down their external skeleton and leaves them prone to dehydration.

You can use a mild detergent. Just mix it with a little water and spray in areas that may act as entry points or areas where the brown marmorated stink bugs are likely to swarm. This method will work on the insects within a few hours.

The best thing about the brown marmorated stink bug control method stated above is that you already have the ingredients. Thus, you will not incur extra costs running to the store for a bug killer. Speaking of using home remedies -

• Vacuum Cleaner

This Vacuum cleaning is a simple and straightforward method of getting rid of the bugs without additional costs or trips to the store. The vacuum cleaner will suck up the bugs.

However, to ensure that you do not leave your vacuum cleaner with a terrible smell, use a bagged vacuum cleaner. Once you have sucked up the bugs, dispose of them of either down the toilet or in an outside fire. Do this repeatedly until you are satisfied with the results, or are sure that there are no more of them left. Then, you can throw away the bag too.

The best thing about this method is that it can also be useful in controlling other pests as well. On top of that, you also do not incur additional costs, and you get to clean your house too. Plus, it is more effective than trapping them into a container, which will only be useful when you have the bug in sight.

• Hairspray

The use of hairspray is also another DIY method of getting rid of the marmorated stink bug. However, the given method of control does not kill the bug.

When you spray the hairspray directly on the bug, it cripples the insect. Therefore, this allows you to pick them and gather them into a different disposable container, which you can then dispose of far away from your home.

• Neem Oil

Neem oils are naturally an insecticide, meaning that there do not need to be chemical additives to make them useful.

To use the product to rid your home of the marmorated stink bug, mix it with warm water and then spray it on the areas of entry and swarming.

This method of brown marmorated stink bug control acts differently from other insecticides. Therefore, you can use it indoors comfortably and without risking carpet beetles.

 

When the stink bug comes into contact with the spray of neem oil, the oil will inhibit its feeding instincts. Over the long term, the bugs will also stop laying eggs, as the neem oil also works to prevent them from laying their eggs.

You will not have an immediate spike in dead stink bugs after spraying them with the neem oil spray. However, over time, you will notice a decrease in their population. The reduction will be because they will die from starvation and fail to reproduce.

• Diatomaceous Earth (DE)

DE is a naturally occurring rock that contains silica and iron oxide. When broken down into powder form, DE is quite an effective insecticide. The reason is that the powder's silica particles are often small pieces of glass. So, when an insect walks over them, the powder cuts through their exoskeleton and leaves them vulnerable to dehydration.

Spread this powder both on the inside and outside your home. Ensure that you have every part of your home slathered in thick coats of dust. While it is effective in killing insects, you need much of it for it to be devastating.

When going out to look for any DE that you will use as an insecticide, always go for the one that is untreated, as it tends to be more productive.

• Use Hot Pepper

The use of hot pepper also has been known as a way of pest prevention, and when it comes to ways to rid your property of pesky bugs, it is no different.

Capsaicin is the chemical that gives hot pepper its heat. When it comes into contact with the brown marmorated stink bug's skin, it burns off the external layer of the bug, which, again, dehydrates it.

To use hot pepper, cut open the pepper, then let them soak in water. Once you finish this process, take the solution and pour it into a spray bottle. Then, spray it directly on the brown stink bug. The answer will kill the bug instantly.

But as we have mentioned before, get rid of the dead bugs as quickly as possible to avoid the smell growing in the house, as well as to not attract carpet beetles.

• Karate Zeon

Karate Zeon is a chemical substance that works great in helping you rid your property of the stink bug. What makes the substance very useful against the stink bug is that it not only kills the brown marmorated stink bug, but it also gets rid of its larvae.

The instructions on how you will use it will show on the container that you get with it. However, when you do it right, expect only two treatments, and you will have a stink-entirely bug-free home.

However, anti-pest chemicals are very strong. For this reason, you need to keep the precautions in mind all the time as you try to drive the stink bugs out of your property. Some of these precautions are:

• Read the instructions carefully before opening the seal.
• Take the necessary precautions before attempting to apply the treatment to any part of the house.
• When using this method to get rid of pests, always ensure that children and pets do not come into contact with the chemical.
• The female brown marmorated stink bug lays eggs after intervals of between 35 - 45 days. Thus, ensure that you stay on course to use the method after the given number of days.
• You should also follow the application process as described in the instruction manual, even when you still do not have any of the pesky critters on sight.

Pest Control Experts as the Final Method

Ultimately, there comes a time when there is just too big an infestation for DIY methods of getting rid of them to be effective. This situation then calls for the intervention of pest control experts.

To know that you have an infestation of the brown marmorated stink bug, you will find that these remedies that you took do not seem to reduce the population in any way. Or that the methods seem to only work for some time before the problem begins once more.

Do not waste any time calling the pest control experts. There are many great things about calling an expert to deal with the menace.

One thing is that they will quickly identify areas of entry that you may have overlooked or not properly sealed off. They may also own better, more effective methods and equipment for driving the critters out of your property. After all, don't they kill the brown marmorated stink bug and other pests for a living?

You will also benefit from the advice that they will give you when they finish with the task at hand.

Always ensure that they are legitimate and from a legitimate company before letting anyone into your property.

You could do this by visiting the company's website and checking through its history. Once they send someone over, you could also ask them for their identification.

Once inside, you can ask them questions about the bugs and try to see if they understand what they are doing. You could also try to find out the effects of the brown marmorated stink bug bite. You wouldn't want a situation where someone comes into your house, does a shoddy job, and leaves you will a bigger mess than you already had to begin with. On top of this, the losses that you will suffer through the period.

Stink bugs in your property are probably one very messy affair. When you do not handle it with the care and delicate nature it deserves, it could leave a terrible smell in its wake.

Unlike other pest control, dealing with the brown marmorated stink bug is delicate. The methods you use to get rid of them matter a lot. You are determined not to get their terrible odor on what is left. Thus, you need to walk more carefully with this one.

Thus, if you have tried out the home remedy, and it still doesn’t work, then call the experts. Do it fast, before the stinkers make your home inhabitable and messy.