Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 2: Getting stink bugs out of your home
• Part 2 of 2: Keeping stink bugs out of your home
• Tips

Stink bugs are small, harmless insects that give off a terrible odor when squashed. These insects can be very annoying, but there are many ways you can control them. Gently sweep up or catch stink bugs in your home to prevent them from emitting a bad odor. You can keep these insects out of your home by closing holes, using fewer outdoor lights, and spraying the outside walls of your home with an insecticide.

To step

Part 1 of 2: Getting stink bugs out of your home

1. Do not crush the stink bugs to prevent them from emitting a foul odor. These insects are known to give off a terrible odor when squashed. Resist the temptation to crush or step on the stink bugs when you see them. Doing so will cause the bugs to emit a pungent scent that lingers in your home.
2. Wipe up the stink bugs and flush them down the toilet. The best way to catch and get rid of stink bugs is to use a dustpan and dustpan to collect them. Gently sweep the bugs into the can to avoid crushing them. Shake them in the toilet, where you can flush them out before they have a chance to release their foul odor.
   • Do not vacuum the stink bugs with a vacuum cleaner, as the pressure of the device can crush them and cause the foul odor to linger in your vacuum cleaner.
3. Place some sticky traps around your house to catch and keep an eye on stink bugs. Buy sticky insect traps from a hardware store near you and place them in every room in your house. In this way you can catch the insects, but also see where the largest number of insects are in your house. Discard the traps and replace them with new ones as needed, and keep doing this until the stink bugs are gone.
   • Put sticky traps on your windowsills to catch the stink bugs that try to enter your house.
   • Keep the adhesive traps out of the reach of pets and children.
   • Do not put the sticky traps outside where they can catch small animals or good pollinating insects like bees.
4. Kill the stink bugs by spraying a mixture of dish soap, vinegar and hot water on them. Pour 120 ml of vinegar and 60 ml of dish soap into a spray bottle. Add 250ml of hot water and stir the mixture to mix the ingredients well. Spray this mixture on the stink bugs at close range to kill them immediately.
   • Know that this method can be messy and you need to clean up afterwards.
5. Tap the stink bugs into a bucket of soapy water. Stink bugs quickly drown in soapy water, which can prevent them from releasing their scent and conceal the odor. Fill a bucket with hot water and dish soap. Tap stink bugs off walls, curtains, and other high surfaces into the mixture. You can also sweep up the insects and drop them into the water.
   • When you are ready to dispose of the collected insects, simply flush them down the toilet.
6. Make a lighted stink bug trap from a plastic bottle. Cut the top off a large plastic soda bottle, turn it over and place it upside down on the top part of the bottle. Use strong tape to attach a battery-powered light to the bottom of the bottle. Let the light shine upwards. Place the trap in a dark place in your home so that the stink bugs crawl in, try to get to the light, and then get trapped.
   • Apply masking tape or small pieces of foam to the sides of the plastic bottle so that the insects can get a grip on the bottle and get into the trap more easily.
   • Make multiple lighted traps to get rid of the stink bugs quickly.

Part 2 of 2: Keeping stink bugs out of your home

1. Seal cracks and cracks in your house with sealant. Shield bugs are likely to enter your home by crawling through cracks and holes in the exterior walls. Use a caulking gun with urethane sealant to seal small holes. Do this once a year to keep your home in good shape.
   • Pay particular attention to the areas near doors and windows.
2. Replace or repair damaged window screens. Shield bugs can enter your home through tiny holes in your window screens. Check your screens for holes and tears and close tiny holes with superglue. Close any holes that are larger than 2-3 centimeters by sticking pieces of screen mesh in front of them using a strong glue. Replace an insect screen if it is badly damaged.
   • Consider installing grilles and screens for all areas where the insects might enter your home, such as the chimney opening, downspout openings, gutters, drains and vents.
3. Rub your window screens with a tumble dryer cloth. The smell of dryer sheets is said to repel stink bugs. To protect your home even more, rub the surface of all window screens with a tumble dryer cloth. The scent will linger on the insect screen and repel stink bugs from entering your home.
   • In the case of large window screens, use 2 dryer sheets to treat the entire surface.
4. Make a peppermint spray to repel the stink bugs. Pour 500 ml of water into a spray bottle. Put 10 drops of peppermint oil in the spray bottle and shake the spray bottle to mix the ingredients. Spray the mixture near areas where stink bugs enter your home, such as windows and doors, to repel the insects and keep them from entering.
   • You can also spray the mixture around your house to keep stink bugs away.
5. In the fall, treat the outside of your home with an insecticide containing bifenthrin. Buy a bifenthrin insecticide from a hardware store near you to spray on your exterior walls in September or October.Test the spray on a hidden corner of the outside wall and wait a few days to see if it also damages your siding. If not, spray the chemical on the entire surface of the exterior walls.
   • Spray with the pesticide facing up to ensure that the entire surface is covered with an even layer of the product.
   • Wear safety glasses and protective clothing in case you get some pesticide while spraying.
   • Do not spray your garden, trees and other shrubs and plants with the product to kill the stink bugs.
   • If you want an easier solution, call a professional pest controller to do the job for you.
6. Provide as little light as possible around your house. Stink bugs are attracted to light, and having lights just outside your home can turn your home into a beacon for insects. Provide as little light as possible at your front and back door. Turn off your outdoor lights when you don't have to go outside.
   • Otherwise, buy a lamp with a motion sensor to avoid having your outdoor lamp on unnecessarily.
7. Set up a lit trap outdoors with dish soap. Catch stink bugs coming to your house by placing a large bowl of soapy water at night. Arrange a lamp so that it shines into the trap and the trap becomes irresistible to stink bugs nearby. Shield bugs will crawl into the trap and drown in the suds.
   • Know that you may also catch other insects with this trap.

Tips

• By squashing some stink bugs outdoors, you can give a warning to other stink bugs and keep them away.