(NEXSTAR) — After a record-breaking hot summer and a hotter-than-average fall, cooler weather is finally on the horizon. Unfortunately, the cooling temperatures may encourage a smelly, invasive pest to find its way into your home.
You may have already seen the aptly-named brown marmorated stink bug, a native of East Asia, climbing on your windows, doors, siding, and more as it searches for a wintering spot.
The first stink bugs in the U.S. were reported in Pennsylvania in the late 1990s. Since then, the species has spread to nearly every state except Wyoming, South Dakota, and Alaska. According to a group supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the stink bug has already caused “severe agricultural and nuisance problems” in Oregon, Michigan, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York.
Even if you don’t have crops for the stink bug to destroy, they can be especially annoying in fall. While you’re trying to enjoy a pumpkin spiced latte and the fall colors, the stink bug is looking for a place to hide out for the winter, Penn State Extension explains. On a warm fall day, or in areas of your home that face the sun, you may see multiple stink bugs trying to find their way in through windows and doors.
Stink bugs are a little like bears — after eating as much as they could in fall, they live off their stored energy while “overwintering.” So once they’re in your home, they could live even without food well into spring.
So what can you do about these intruders?
If you have never encountered the brown marmorated stink bug, your immediate instinct may be to step on or squash them. If you’ve done that before, you know that may not be the ideal method.
A squished stink bug lives up to its name, producing an unpleasant odor that may be surprising for its size. For most people, this will be a temporary nuisance, but for some, it can cause allergic reactions like rhinitis or conjunctivitis.
Many insecticides are unable to combat the brown stink bug, and exterior insecticide treatments applied by pest control operators can only provide minor relief, according to the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The battle against the bugs isn’t a complete wash — there are other steps you can take to help keep the bugs from getting in your home.
That includes making sure openings in and around your home are sealed off with caulk, Wisconsin-based K&C Pest Control suggests. Additionally, you’ll want to check screens on your windows and doors don’t have any tears or holes big enough for the bugs to enter through.
You can also try to combat the foul-smelling bugs with nicer-smelling products. For example, you can place dryer sheets (other than the unscented variety) in window sills or other entry points to deter the stink bugs. Essential oils like clove, lemongrass, and spearmint have also been known to keep the bugs away.
If the stink bugs do find their way inside, experts recommend using a vacuum to remove them, whether they’re dead or alive (though this may give your vacuum a bad odor for a short period of time). You can also take them outside to squash them, flush them, or put them in a container with soapy water, Ortho explains. Don’t leave the dead bugs laying around — experts say that can attract more insects that enjoy feeding on them.
Waiting for the first frost or the winter cold to thwart the stink buts won’t work either. Thomas P. Kuhar, Associate Professor in the Department of Entomology at Virginia Tech told The Washington Post in 2013 that in his lab, they found stink bugs could endure temperatures below -4 degrees F.
If the bugs do make it into your home and you aren’t able to kill them before they settle it, it is worth noting they won’t cause much harm (beside their odor) and they won’t reproduce while staying over for the winter.
