Stink bugs are common in most regions and are most commonly found near the garden, but they frequently find their way inside, especially when the temperature begins to drop. Their natural defense mechanism is releasing an unpleasant smell when they feel threatened. The smell lasts for a long time once it is released and it helps the bugs find their way back to their "safe place." If you suspect you have hibernating stink bugs in your home, it is best to treat them as early as possible.
Stink bugs typically cause damage to vegetable and fruit trees and plants. In late spring and early summer, it begins its tirade in the garden and targets pears, cherries, green beans, apples, peaches, and raspberries. When the warm weather ends, it survives by heading inside of houses, where it causes even more damage. Stink bugs live for several years, as long as they can avoid the cold weather. They hibernate, usually in the warm crevices of houses, near doors, under shingles, or in attics and basements, if they are warm enough.
While the natural instinct when you see a bug is to stomp on it, this will release the odor into the room. So while you will squash and kill it, the bug will have one last laugh and the room in which it was killed will need several hours or days to air out. If you are dealing with just one stink bug, the best defense is to get a paper towel, pick it up as gently as possible, and flush it down the toilet.
Occasionally, regions may be faced with more stink bugs than they would normally see. Reasons for this include warmer winters allowing more stink bugs to survive, so instead of just having one brand new crop of offenders, there is a year's worth of bugs living from one season to the next. More adults mean more eggs, eventually leading to epidemic numbers if not treated. Greater numbers of stink bugs mean higher numbers of stink bug-related problems. The fruit damaged by the bugs cannot hurt people if they eat it, but no one wants to buy stink bug food. Because stink bug levels are usually kept under control, no one is sure what a serious infestation might do in the wild. If winters in certain regions where stink bugs are prevalent continue to be relatively warm, arborists, orchard owners, farmers, and gardeners may have to find ways to combat the stink bugs so serious damage is not done to their crops.
If you believe stink bugs have taken up residence in your home and are hibernating in one of their favorite cozy spots, you should contact an exterminator during the colder months. Do not wait to find out if stink bugs start to appear because by then, it may be too late. If a serious number of bugs invades your home and released its noxious odor, you are going to regret not dealing with the problem when you first discovered it.
Author Resource:-
Stewart Wrighter is an expert in the field of exterminating and contributes articles about the benefits of using a Sentricon system or Sentricon for eliminating termites from a structure.
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