DIY Stink Bug Traps! They Will Be Worse This Year!

There's no way around it! Word is our favorite pests are going to be more of a problem this year!

The brown marmorated stink bug is harmless but they can be a nuisance. They are classified as an invasive species in Michigan.

Michigan State University scientists say they expect stink bug season to be even worse this year than it was last year. They also expect them to continue spreading throughout the state.

As of September 2017, it has been found in 61 Michigan counties and is well established in the southern part of the Lower Peninsula, according to MSU. (Source: WDIV)

(Source: MSU/IPM)

What are they doing in my home?

At the end of the summer and into the fall, you may start to find brown marmorated stink bugs appearing in homes and other buildings. They are looking for a protected place to spend the winter. They will leave your house again in the spring – if they can find their way back out – to look for plants to feed on and lay their eggs outside.

They are NOT nesting, laying eggs or feeding on anything or anyone in your house. These are plant-feeding insects with straw-like mouthparts for drinking plant juices – they are harmless to humans and pets.

What can I do about it?

1. Try not to panic.
2. Look for gaps around window air conditioners or holes in window screens and block them off – these are easy access points for brown marmorated stink bugs to enter homes.
3. The easiest, non-toxic way to dispose of them is with a couple inches of soapy water in a bucket – the soap prevents them from escaping the water. Sweep them into the bucket and they will drown in the soapy water, which you can then dump outside. Or you can do the same with a Shop-Vac – add the soapy water to the canister before vacuuming them up with the Shop-Vac.
4. If you want to help MSU Extension track where BMSB are appearing in the Michigan, you can report how many you’ve seen at a given location using the Midwest Invasive Species Information Network (MISIN). If you have trouble entering the information on the Midwest Invasive Species Information Network website, email Julianna Wilson at jkwilson@msu.edu with your name, address (or nearest crossroads), the date you saw them, and how many you have seen.

Get to know our stinky pals! Like...WHY DO THEY STINK?

And here are some ideas on how to get rid of them.