For the last several years, bed bugs have been a big worry for homeowners and renters alike. But early reports indicate that this autumn households might have a stinkier critter to worry about. Over the weekend, entomologist Mike Raupp spoke out about stink bug populations and why they might be invading homes in record numbers this autumn.
While stink bugs don’t pose much of an actual threat in the house, if they do get into your home, they can be quite difficult to get rid of and quite gross smelling, to boot. There’s a reason a stink bug has earned its name, and it's because if a stink bug fills threatened, it will fill the room with a rank odor that has been described as smelling sort-of like cilantro. While I think that’s a rather kind description for the smell, it’s certainly not one you would want in your home. Stink bugs can also be pests in the garden, to boot, so it’s not the sort of bug you really want to keep around.
The stink bug had a big year in 2010, and while the last several autumns have been fairly quiet where the critters are concerned, they have already been out in record numbers this year—especially in locations on the East Coast in the United States. Raupp recently spoke with the Washington D.C. radio station WTOP to state that while stink bugs have been spotty this fall, the areas that have seen them have seen a lot of them. The other day, his University of Maryland team even collected more than 4,000 of the little stinkers off of the same wall in just 20 minutes. He calls those big numbers “spectacular, ” although I'm more of the opinion that those numbers are just gross.
"I've heard reports of some places just being inundated with floods of stink bugs, and eight miles away people are seeing none. I think it's going to be very spotty this year. But where people have stink bugs, it's going to be spectacular."
Just thinking about the stink bugs is enough to give you the heebie jeebies. However, if the caulk fails and they do get into your home, it’'s important to note that you should never crush the little creatures. If you do, your house will feature an unpleasant aroma for some time to come. In order to get rid of the little critters effectively, it’s best to just trap them or even vacuum them up. Then, throw them into water or a plastic bag and freeze them.
Photo Credit@ Shutterstock/Yuangeng Zhang
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