# I have a massive stink bug infestation and I need advice on how to go to war with the bastards



## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

Where do you live in general?


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## enormitydave (Sep 29, 2021)

Nik333 said:


> Where do you live in general?


NW of Nashville, TN


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## Steve2444 (Sep 28, 2020)

enormitydave said:


> NW of Nashville, TN


S of Nashville Tn, Yes It is stink bug season.
As they are fliers, the only thing you can do is spray where you don't want them, doyourownpestcontrol.com I spray the house/deck/window and doors with Bifin it.
But be aware they will still get in, they may die soon afterwards, but a vacuum (dustbuster) will capture them and then do what you wish with the prisoner.






Getting Rid of Stink Bugs | Terminix


Stink bug removal is most effective when you understand your enemy. Learn more about getting rid of stink bugs.




www.terminix.com


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## enormitydave (Sep 29, 2021)

Is there not some method of poisoning that can "infect" one bug so that they can pass it on to their fellow bugs, and they can pass it on, etc., etc.? I've got to think big here, not trying to deal with this **** for the rest of my life.


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## earthur (Sep 29, 2021)

Here in western Virginia they are a problem too. They don't live in colonies so your poisoning idea won't work. I used to open up my house on warm fall days but they found too many ways to get in, even with screens. I can spray the outside of my house with vinegar and peppermint oil and they don't like that so I see fewer on the outside than otherwise. But it does not keep all of them outside. Inside, you can put a turkey pan with soapy water in it underneath a suspended light bulb or lamp with an extendable arm. They land on the light, fall in the water and drown. This works at night. But like you, I live surrounded by woods and that seems to be the problem. No birds or other natural enemies like to eat them because like many other pests (like Asian Ladybugs and Japanese stiltgrass), they come from Asia and have no natural predators here. I wish I had more suggestions than that to offer.


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## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

Knock on wood, I don't have a stink bug problem, only see an occasional one. But I did have a tick problem and needed a non-toxic spray fro my yard. A friend sent me some Wondercide with a high recommendation. I used it and was amazed how well it worked.
Just searched to read if it is effective on stink bugs and looks like it is. Recommend you add it to your search and read list as a possible treatment. Like you I live surrounded by woods so I was concerned with how to treat my area when the woods could be full. Testing through the summer after only one treatment discovered zero ticks. I had collected 80 in 3 days before spraying.

Not spam, just happy home owner. Non-toxic as I have a dog may be worth a try.

Bud

Note, what I used was safe for indoor as well


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## Missouri Bound (Apr 9, 2011)

Bud9051 said:


> But I did have a tick problem and needed a non-toxic spray fro my yard.


On a side note....the local conservation department has indicated that Opossum will eat about 1000 ticks per day.
I always see 'possums but have very few ticks and I am surrounded by woods.


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## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

I remember opossums as a kid in Kansas but never seen one here in Maine and I've spent many years in the woods. Don't know if it is the cold weather.

Bud


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## Fix'n it (Mar 12, 2012)

Bud9051 said:


> Don't know if it is the cold weather.
> 
> Bud


i have one, chitcago burbs


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## Roxygal (Sep 4, 2019)

As for the stink bugs, the best thing you can do is try and caulk and seal up windows, cracks, etc., but I know, easier said than done. I used to get a lot until I got all new windows. After that, I only get a few here and there, so I know that's the trick. I don't think there's any magic cure to kill tons of them at once tho.


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## tbrannen22 (Nov 3, 2021)

I lived in WV for 16 years until this summer when I moved back home to Canada - I can attest that the last 3-4 years have been ridiculously bad for stink bugs. I understand and agree that this isn't the healthiest of solutions, but I did have my husband spray some kind of yard mosquito control stuff he got at Lowe's in the crawlspace. We went from having 20-30 a day in our little 100 sq/ft house to just a few the next two years. Correlation doesn't equal causation, but I think that may have somehow done it.

Note - it did reduce the amount of mosquitos, too. My kiddo has super bad reactions to them.


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## DoomsDave (Dec 6, 2018)

@enormitydave nice to meet you and welcome. And bless your heart for not mincing words!

I wish I could offer some magical Dooms Dave solution, but I can't. I think @Roxygal's advice is the best, which doesn't really solve the problem, which is too damn many bugs, but at least gets a handle on it. If needed, you can follow @tbrannen22 's advice, but that's only temporary as noted.

Stink bugs have a hypodermic needle for a mouth, which they use to pierce and draw the juices from plants, including major crops like soybeans and corn. So, they suck literally as well as figuratively. In the winter they hibernate. 

The species in question is from Asia, and it's another one of those "invasive species" that make their way here and raise hell, the big reason being a near or total lack of natural controls. (Kudzu, Gypsy Moth, etc., are other examples.) Nothing eats them, so they go ape-doody and multiply and multiply and multiply. The only real solution will be to find a natural enemy and introduce it here, and pray that the natural enemy doesn't annihilate some of our native critters. 

Stink bugs smell raunchy, which is why critters like possums appear not to want to eat them.


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## Fix'n it (Mar 12, 2012)

i have killed lots of bugs with nothing more than soapy water. and i bet a little bleach would help = i am going to try that next time.


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## DoomsDave (Dec 6, 2018)

Fix'n it said:


> i have killed lots of bugs with nothing more than soapy water. and i bet a little bleach would help = i am going to try that next time.


Yeah, but with a stink bug invasion that's like holding off the Soviet army with just one .45 auto, and a limited supply of ammo, while they swarm all around you.


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## tbrannen22 (Nov 3, 2021)

This is unconventional but honestly, I have the best luck with powdered cinnamon. I have used it to deter ants with 100% success, and it works in my rose garden. Now that I am back in Nova Scotia I used it to get rid of earwigs with about 50% success but literally there were so many - ugh

I don't know how you would apply it, maybe along your sills, jambs, and the whole perimeter of your house? It vacuums and sweeps right up. You seem desperate so it's worth a try!


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## Old Thomas (Nov 28, 2019)

My farm has stink bugs, they can cover the side of a metal barn that is warm in the sun. We hose down the building and lawn 15 feet out with this:


https://www.lowes.com/pd/BAYER-ADVANCED-Complete-32-fl-oz-Insect-Killer/3005441


The next day they are all dead.
At home we don’t get stink bugs, we get lady bugs. That stuff knocks them dead, too.


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## DoomsDave (Dec 6, 2018)

So, @enormitydave tell us what's up, as of now.


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

Old Thomas said:


> My farm has stink bugs, they can cover the side of a metal barn that is warm in the sun. We hose down the building and lawn 15 feet out with this:
> 
> 
> https://www.lowes.com/pd/BAYER-ADVANCED-Complete-32-fl-oz-Insect-Killer/3005441
> ...


"Ladybugs, or lady beetles, are considered a beneficial bug which *helps rid an area of crop-damaging aphids, mealybugs* and other destructive insect pests. The adult ladybugs feed on these insects. They also lay their eggs among the aphids or other prey so the emerging larvae can feed on the insects, too."

*Ladybug Benefits | All About Lady Bugs - Safer Brand*


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## DoomsDave (Dec 6, 2018)

Nik333 said:


> "Ladybugs, or lady beetles, are considered a beneficial bug which *helps rid an area of crop-damaging aphids, mealybugs* and other destructive insect pests. The adult ladybugs feed on these insects. They also lay their eggs among the aphids or other prey so the emerging larvae can feed on the insects, too."
> *Ladybug Benefits | All About Lady Bugs - Safer Brand*


Hmm

What's the evidence the Lady bugs attack stink bugs?


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

DoomsDave said:


> Hmm
> 
> What's the evidence the Lady bugs attack stink bugs?


My point to Old Thomas was just that they are beneficial bugs.



Old Thomas said:


> At home we don’t get stink bugs, we get lady bugs. That stuff knocks them dead, too.


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## DoomsDave (Dec 6, 2018)

Nik333 said:


> My point to Old Thomas was just that they are beneficial bugs.


Okay


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## Roxygal (Sep 4, 2019)

He may be talking about the asian stinkbug version ladybug. They're not good, unlike the native ones. They're also killing off the native ones, so good to get rid of them. We have them now. They're an orange color as opposed to the red ones.
If he's not talking about them, I agree, he shouldn't be killing them.


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## DoomsDave (Dec 6, 2018)

@enormitydave any updates?


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