Why Stink Bugs Become More Noticeable in October
Mostly, it is common for stink bugs to attract attention when the season is fall. In the warm season, brown marmorated stink bugs spend most of their time outside, feeding on plants, trees, fruits, and other vegetation.
When fall advances, their habits change. A Collingwood pest control expert can help confirm the insect when homeowners are unsure what type of fall pest they are seeing.
Shortening day length and dropping temperatures mean that winter is coming. The adults start looking for sheltered areas in which they can stay dormant during the cold months.
This is the reason why you can see groups of stink bugs suddenly around your property in October if you are living in Collingwood.
Why You May See Several Bugs at Once
Stink Bugs can be found in noticeable numbers during the fall season. While one homeowner will find one or two insects, another can find several of them within a short time frame.
This process may appear rapid since the insects were hardly noticeable during the summer season.
Fall season triggers the adults to abandon their feeding sites and look for a place to stay. More and more insects do this, which leads to an increase in their number around homes.
Their presence does not necessarily imply that there is an infestation indoors.
Are Stink Bugs Breeding Inside Your Home?
Stink bugs entering the house are typically doing so in order to find a spot for wintering.
They are not generally coming into the house to develop an indoor breeding colony.
Understanding this point is key. A homeowner that observes many stink bugs over several days will think that these are reproducing in the house. Typically, they entered the house before and are gradually appearing.
Sometimes the warm indoor temperatures or the sunshine may cause them to become active and start moving around.
How to Recognize a Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
Not every brown insect spotted around the Collingwood area home needs to be a stink bug. Proper recognition should be performed as there are many similar looking insects that invade in fall.
The brown marmorated stink bugs have distinctively broad shield-shaped bodies. Their coloration is generally mottled brown or gray. The adult bugs are about 12-17mm long.
Look for the Antennae and Abdominal Markings
A closer look can help confirm the identification.
Brown marmorated stink bugs commonly have:
- Two pale bands on their antennae
- Alternating light and dark markings around the edge of the abdomen
- A mottled brown or grey upper body
- A broad, flattened, shield like shape
These markings can help separate them from other brown insects that become active around homes in fall.
Stink Bug or Western Conifer Seed Bug?
Another insect often misidentified is the western conifer seed bug.
Both of these insects are brown in color and relatively large. They might both make appearances outside homes when it starts cooling off. The western conifer seed bugs generally have elongated bodies compared to the broad shield-shaped bodies typical of stink bugs.
Their hind legs have also been known to have a slightly leaf-like form.
The brown bug which has the shield-like body and banded antennae is usually a brown marmorated stink bug.
This information will help distinguish between pests which may require any measures of control.
What Happens When Stink Bugs Start Showing Up Indoors
The presence of stink bugs inside a house can be a source of frustration, especially when you see more than one stink bug. But the fact that you see several stink bugs is more likely due to overwintering behaviour than an indoor infestation.
Brown marmorated stink bugs are not known to bite humans or sting. They do not cause any damage to household items.
Why Do Stink Bugs Smell?
Stink bugs are called this way due to the smell that they produce as a defense mechanism in response to any threat, rough handling, or being squashed.
The smell can be left in places or even inside a vacuum cleaner.
Because of this, it is usually not advisable to squash stink bugs indoors.
Why Do They Keep Appearing?
The person may have got rid of one stink bug but sees another in a few days.
It doesn’t imply that the insects are breeding inside.
A few adult stink bugs may have entered places where they can stay safe during fall.
Any change in the room’s temperature, heating, or sunlight can make an individual stink bug active once again.
Therefore, the reappearance of the insect may be due to a few overwintering stink bugs instead of a larger indoor population.
What Collingwood Homeowners Can Do About Stink Bugs
A few cases of stink bugs inside the home can usually be controlled without much difficulty.
The basic approach would be to identify and eliminate the pests without killing them, checking first if their sightings have become frequent.
Remove Individual Stink Bugs Carefully
Individual stink bugs can be trapped by homeowners using a box.
Vacuuming is an alternative if there are multiple bugs. But the homeowner needs to dump out the contents of the vacuum immediately as the odor will linger in the machine.
Don’t squash stink bugs on walls, floors, curtains or furnishings.
Avoid Unnecessary Indoor Spraying
The presence of multiple stink bugs may appear to justify immediate indoor spraying. Nevertheless, the use of insecticides is seldom required for the isolated instances of stink bugs that are already indoors.
Elimination of visible stink bugs would be a more realistic approach.
Frequent application of insecticides on the living space would not affect stink bugs residing in hidden places.
When Should You Contact a Pest Control Professional?
Professional pest control services will come in handy if you notice an unusually large number of stink bugs or if these bugs are present all year round in your home.
A trained pest control expert will help you determine if these bugs are really the brown marmorated stink bugs or some other similar fall pest.
For Collingwood residents, proper identification will be particularly helpful for determining if any action needs to be taken.
If the stink bugs in your Collingwood home have become a problem, Simcoe PestX can evaluate the situation and give you the best advice on what to do.