This Is What's Really Attracting Pesky Stink Bugs To Your Home

Stink bugs often enter houses in the fall in search of a safe, warm place to spend the winter. These insects do not carry diseases and aren't prone to biting people, but they can become annoying to have inside your home. Exterior lights, lush gardens, and cracks that lead into your home could be attracting these bugs. When stink bugs feel threatened, they release an awful scent to ward off predators. This is usually harmless besides the smell, but some people are allergic to the bug's secretion. These pesky bugs are typically not dangerous to pets, but cats and dogs may vomit if they eat one, per Eco Care Pest Control.

During the fall, stink bugs are known to crawl under tree bark to prepare for their diapause period, a time of their life when they don't reproduce or eat. They may end up inside your house instead, and once there, the insects will put off a pheromone to let other stink bugs know where to go. This could attract more of these bugs to your home.

Small spaces between siding, cracks in the foundation or exterior walls, and any little openings make a house attractive to stink bugs. This is especially true for homes that are made of natural materials or are darker in color, as they appear similar to the spaces where stink bugs hide outside. Gaps in old weather stripping around windows and doors also give easy access to these insects.

Having a garden outside may also bring these insects into the area. Stink bugs love to munch on fruit and vegetables, like tomatoes, peppers, apples, berries, and beans. Once the bugs find this food source, they'll likely stick around your garden until the weather gets cold. If your garden is near your home or you have shrubs along the side of your house, stink bugs might head inside as warm weather fades. At night, porch lights and other exterior lights could attract stink bugs as well.

Sealing any cracks or openings into your home with caulk is the best way to keep bugs out. You'll want to ensure that doorways, windows, siding, and pipes that lead outside have no gaps that a pesky bug could squeeze through. Adding screens to vents and keeping your chimney's flue closed will also make your homes less accessible for insects.

Because stink bugs are attracted to light, closing your blinds and turning off your porch light at night will help keep these insects away from your house. If you have a garden or a lot of trees or shrubs on your property, regularly trimming plants, getting rid of weeds, and cleaning up garden clutter will make the area less attractive to stink bugs. Once your home is sealed, you can get rid of stink bugs by carefully using a tissue to pick them up and place them outside. The bugs could also be vacuumed up, but you'll need to empty it right away and this might make your vacuum smell.