Die, Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs, Die.

[Lightnin']

Here in Maryland, we've got these little fuckers. The Brown Marmorated Stinkbug, scourge of the countryside.

An invasive species from China or Japan, they were first spotted in 1998 in Pennsylvania. Now they're all over this area. Nothing eats them. Nothing kills them. Hell, to poison the damn things, you have to spray them directly- unlike a lot of other bugs, you can't just spray a barrier around your house. And they like to stink up the place with a godawful stench- especially if you irritate them by, well, being around 'em. They can get into anywhere, and when they're feeling particularly feisty, they fly around the room, bumping into everything.

I've been in the area for two winters now. The first fall, I saw a few around my house- mostly on the back porch. I ignored 'em- hey, they didn't bother me, so I didn't bother them. That winter, they came into the house- a few at a time, so I just carefully scooped 'em up and tossed them back outside.

This last fall, though, the side of my house had hundreds. The entire area smelled of stinkbug. I eventually got freaked out enough to start killing them, when I found out that there's really not much you can about 'em. Short of nuking my entire house with poison, nothing worked. And then this winter, they decided to come inside to get away from the cold. The only way to keep them out is to hermetically seal your house, and my rental is anything but sealed.

The only way I've found to get rid of them is to pick each one up individually with a doubled-over paper towel and then to crush it or flush it. And I'm seeing at least ten a day now, usually more. What's worse, they like warm places... like, say the vent above my stove. Twice now I've had to fish a stinkbug out of my dinner.

I'm really dreading this next fall. Supposedly 20% of crop losses in the area this last year can be directly blamed on stinkbugs, and I can only imagine it's going to be worse this year. I can't bear to think how bad the infestation in my house will be next winter. I grew up in Houston, so bugs in the house don't bother me too much- but roaches, at least, have the decency to try to hide from you. These assholes *dare* you to do anything about 'em.

[CandidGamera]

I had three the other night, which was unusual. At least, I think they're the stinkbugs. I've never actually had them "stink". I grab them with a thickness of paper towel and crush them utterly, and never catch a whiff of anything bad.

[Guinastasia]

Do NOT crush them -- then you release the stench. Supposedly, there's a spray you can make with Dawn...let me look it up.

21 Ways to Kill Stink Bugs

Here's the recipe.

Good luck! I hate those things!

[Euphonious Polemic]

I suggest you take off and nuke them from orbit.

[Cheesesteak]

We vacuum them up with the DustBuster, then flush them down. One week we were catching nearly 100 a day. Now we see them only occasionally, but we seem to be collecting carcasses between our windows and storm windows. That, I welcome.

This spring, I'm going to have to make an extra special effort to seal the windows and screens. I'll be investing in Mortite, I think. Damn stinkbugs can squeeze through tiny cracks.

[Khadaji]

Yeah, I just killed one in my office. Little bastards refuse to go away.

[MsRobyn]

We have a stunk bug stuck to the brick wall outside our house. It froze to death in the sub-zero weather we had a few weeks ago. I leave it there to serve as a warning to others.

[Bridget Burke]

Originally Posted by Lightnin'

.....I grew up in Houston, so bugs in the house don't bother me too much- but roaches, at least, have the decency to try to hide from you. These assholes *dare* you to do anything about 'em.

OK, until this paragraph I was thinking--what a wuss! I've been known to stomp Tree Roaches with my bare feet! (Although the smaller Cockroaches are really the ones that can infest your kitchen down here.)

Then I read up on the Stink Bugs. They are new to the USA & just haven't reached Texas yet. Should I be afraid or just wonder how they will interact with the Texas Noxious Pests?

[mischievous]

Originally Posted by CandidGamera

I had three the other night, which was unusual. At least, I think they're the stinkbugs. I've never actually had them "stink". I grab them with a thickness of paper towel and crush them utterly, and never catch a whiff of anything bad.

Yes, this. We have a minor infestation, and I don't smell them at all, nor does my boyfriend. I don't know if there are different subspecies around or if different people have different sensitivities to the odor.

[aruvqan]

get a few guinea fowl, they will eat pretty much any bug they can get their greedy little beaks on. Totally took care of the lovebug infestation, and the lady bug infestation and I haven't seen a tick on the outside doggie since getting them.

And before you peta wannabees bitch me out, she is a husky and refuses to come into the house because it is too warm. If brought into the house, she will snarf up the doggie treat, surf the litter pan for kitteh snacks and then bounce at the back door until she is back outside. She does not sleep in her dog house, she curls up in the snow bank.

[Biffy the Elephant Shrew]

Originally Posted by mischievous

Yes, this. We have a minor infestation, and I don't smell them at all, nor does my boyfriend. I don't know if there are different subspecies around or if different people have different sensitivities to the odor.

Could be you have a totally different bug. There are a zillion true bugs with that same general shape, some stinky, others stink-free.

[mischievous]

Originally Posted by Biffy the Elephant Shrew

Could be you have a totally different bug. There are a zillion true bugs with that same general shape, some stinky, others stink-free.

I suppose that's possible, but the ones we have show the exact same coloration pattern as the wikipedia picture of stink bugs - including the darker brown diamond at the rear and the little white triangles up the sides. Since they're totally unafraid of humans and take their own sweet fucking time crawling around, I can get very detailed looks at their patterning.

Originally Posted by wikipedia article

...they will fly clumsily around light fixtures.

With emphasis on the "clumsily" part. The damn things can't navigate at all and they hit HARD.

[MsRobyn]

Originally Posted by Bridget Burke

OK, until this paragraph I was thinking--what a wuss! I've been known to stomp Tree Roaches with my bare feet! (Although the smaller Cockroaches are really the ones that can infest your kitchen down here.)

Then I read up on the Stink Bugs. They are new to the USA & just haven't reached Texas yet. Should I be afraid or just wonder how they will interact with the Texas Noxious Pests?

Stink bugs aren't that bad, as these things go. They don't bite, aren't poisonous, don't eat your food and don't breed indoors. They're just fucking annoying because there are so damn many of them and because they stink. If you crush one, the stink acts as some sort of signal for others to invade, so you can't crush them. The best you can do is flush 'em.

[TruCelt]

They smell like a combination of vomit/parmesan and dirty gym socks. One friend was cursing her husband and bought him a bunch of silver-lined socks before she figured out it was the bugs making the stink.

[Jenaroph]

I've always wondered, with all these Asian species invading the US and causing big problems 'cause they have no natural predators here, are there any North American species invading and wreaking havoc in say, China? Or are all our bugs total wusses by comparison?

[ataraxy22]

I'm finding 3 or 4 in my house every day now, here in Maryland. I think they are kind of cute, as far as insects go, singularly. But, they get annoying in their abundance. I've taken to collecting them in a little Tupperware container that I empty of the dead carcasses periodically. They are too cute to crush or flush.

[Lightnin']

Originally Posted by ataraxy22

I'm finding 3 or 4 in my house every day now, here in Maryland. I think they are kind of cute, as far as insects go, singularly. But, they get annoying in their abundance. I've taken to collecting them in a little Tupperware container that I empty of the dead carcasses periodically. They are too cute to crush or flush.

That's kind of what I thought, two years ago. I got really creeped out the day that I came home and found hundreds lining the side of my house, though. And then when I opened up our lawn umbrella and a flood of them poured out....

[bmolar]

Blame it on Walmart. We never had any till hey moved in.

[TruCelt]

Cute? My sweet patootie! I'd take a flamethrower to them if it wouldn't damage the furniture.

[Antigen]

I thought that winter would make them go away. But no. They're still here. And I hate them so much. Doesn't anything eat them? Why are there so damn many of them?

[Jackmannii]

Originally Posted by Jenaroph

I've always wondered, with all these Asian species invading the US and causing big problems 'cause they have no natural predators here, are there any North American species invading and wreaking havoc in say, China? Or are all our bugs total wusses by comparison?

I stand up for the rottenness of our bugs.

Maybe they're not causing problems abroad because the balance of trade is so one-sided in favor of shipping plagues over here.

I recognized the stink bug appearance from the linked photo. We get that or a similar bug crashing into the house near outdoor lights, falling on their backs and flailing helplessly. Don't notice an odor though and have never seen them indoors unless they fly in through an open door in warm weather.

[evilbeth]

We have them too and they are driving me crazy. I detest any sort of bug in my house period and the fact that every time I get rid of one (never by crushing) it seems like two take its place is making me mental.

[Malleus, Incus, Stapes!]

We get a few of them every winter. They never do any harm, and I find them to be quite beautiful.

Of course, if there were a zillion of them crawling over the walls I might think differently.

[mozchron]

Heh.

I'm an entomologist, and even I used to think "what's the big deal with a few stink bugs?" (the agricultural impact I get, but all the calls I get about them are from people complaining that they have them in the house). We get a few in the house sometimes, I pick them up and throw them outside. No muss, no fuss.

Until a colleague showed me a video he took of people literally shoveling THOUSANDS of these out of their front door with a push broom.

Ah.

[Khaki Campbell]

In this thread about stink bugs there are the words "cute" and "beautiful".

This doesn't compute . All the more when, on the good side of nature, there exist kittens and red pandas and otters.

[Lightnin']

Well, it was bound to happen. I knew that, eventually, they'd find the warmest place in the house.

My bed.

I woke up to find one peacefully sleeping right next to me this morning. Luckily I found it before I rolled over on top of it.

[Khaki Campbell]

I keep reading the title of this thread as "Brown Marinated Stink Bugs". And I picture a jar of pickled stink bugs that you can munch on in front of the TV .

Their pungent chemicals sure would bring some zing and tartiness to the product.

[Sailboat]

Originally Posted by Antigen

Why are there so damn many of them?

They're Chinese.

[RTFirefly]

Either some of these guys, or a very close look-alike, have been hanging around my raspberry plants every June/July for years. They're harmless individually, and they've never been present in numbers sufficient to bother me. They eat some of my raspberries, but not enough to cut into my harvest noticeably. And I'm somewhat fanatical about my raspberries.

This fall and winter was the first time we've found them inside, but only a few of them so far. Maybe they'll become a problem for me sometime down the road, but they're not even close yet.

[BetsQ]

Also in Maryland. Was not too worked up about stinkbugs until the day I vacuumed 45 off the bedroom curtain. Yuck. While you're in orbit, please send a nuke my way. I'd appreciate advanced notice, though, so I can clear out the two- and four-legged inhabitants.

[Lightnin']

Originally Posted by Khaki Campbell

I keep reading the title of this thread as "Brown Marinated Stink Bugs". And I picture a jar of pickled stink bugs that you can munch on in front of the TV .

Their pungent chemicals sure would bring some zing and tartiness to the product.

The Jumil, a cousin of this little bastard, is an ingredient in some Mexican recipes. They're not as stinky, though.

I find the Brown Marmorated to have an overpowering smell similar to that of cilantro- which is really annoying, because I absolutely love cilantro. They're ruining it for me.

[kayaker]

Originally Posted by MsRobyn

They don't bite

I have a friend who has OCD and is a hypochondriac. The other day a stinkbug landed on her arm and "bit her". She became alarmed about the "bite" which caused her asthma to flare up.

She wound up at the ER covered in hives, unable to breath, claiming it was from a stink bug bite. I've heard her story, but haven't had the heart to tell her that they do not bite.

[Antigen]

I think things have gotten worse.

There was a stinkbug on the bathroom floor this morning. Flipped upside down, legs curled in, dead dead dead. I smiled at its deadness and decided I would sweep it away after my coffee. I came back twenty minutes later and it was dancing around in the sink, completely NOT dead.

We now have zombie stinkbugs.

It's over. Was nice knowing all of you.

[Nayna]

We've got zombie stinkbugs in Western PA, too.

I recently washed our dining room curtains, knowing there were a bunch of stinkbugs on them, but figuring they'd die during the cycle.

How naive of me. After washing them, I put the curtains in the dryer, checked out the dead stinkbugs in the washer, gave the inside of the washer a swipe with a paper towel ... and looked down to see a paper towel full of wriggling stinkbugs in my hand.

[GargoyleWB]

We have bugs that look identical to that in the Pacific NW, they are a regular occupant of my lilac and currant bushes. I've never had them in numbers, but that may be to the metric-gigacrapload of giant swift hairy spiders that we have here. My springtime to-do gardening list will include some scientific antagonizing of them to see if they're smelly.

If successful, your solution in the eastern US is just to request a shipment of giant swift hairy house spiders from us, they'll clean you right up.

I think they're cute also

[TruCelt]

I had one blow a stink inside the frame of my clothes washer. Now everyt ime it goes through the spin cycle that horrid stink gets spread throughout the laundry room. Blech!

[Kimstu]

Originally Posted by Jackmannii

Maybe they're not causing problems abroad because the balance of trade is so one-sided in favor of shipping plagues over here.

Nah, China has invasive species too, we just don't hear about them as much:

As China Booms, Invasive Species Flood in

The group found that the number of documented invasive plant species in China more than tripled between 1995 and 2003, while animal invaders increased 30 percent from 1990 to 2003. Its roster of 400 invasive species costs China a minimum of $14.5 billion a year, according to an estimate cited by the researchers. [...]

For decades the United States has battled its own invaders, including increasing numbers of Chinese species like the Asian longhorned beetle, which arrived in 1996. Now North American species are causing damage in China. The fall webworm, for instance, has attacked more than 200 plant species in Beijing and elsewhere, chewing leaves down to nothing.

[Inthewater]

Originally Posted by Euphonious Polemic

I suggest you take off and nuke them from orbit.

It's the only way to be sure.

[Fotheringay-Phipps]

I have a mini-invasion of (what I believe) are these bugs (they don't stink when swatted, though). "Mini" means about 4-5 a month. Which is a lot less than some other people have complained about, but still about 4-5 more than I'm interested in having.

Weird thing is that they're mostly concentrated in the (second floor) master bathroom. An ocasional one goes into the adjoining bedroom, but that's pretty much it.

What I'm wondering is how they would be getting into this room (exhaust vent?), and why they're in this room only (the other bathrooms are similarly vented)?

[TruCelt]

I had a long break from them, but suddenly in the last week or so they are coming back. about ten this week I'd say.

Also, very large slow-moving ants. In the bathroom. In December.

Weird.

[sinjin]

Gah, we were camp hosts in Maryland this past fall and everyone warned us about the stinkbugs. We dismissed them as reactionaries. We soon learned we were the duh ones. Found three more hiding in the camper last week even though we left in late Oct. Bastards.