When birds burp, it must taste like bugs. – Bill Watterson
There are so many brown marmorated stink bugs (BMSBs for those in the know) in my house this winter, I wouldn’t mind letting in a bird to take care of them. As long as the bird didn’t burp, because BMSBs are well named. And, alas, it wouldn’t work anyway because most birds find them unpalatable. So what are we to do?
The good news
In the winter, BMSB is just hanging out waiting for spring. They are not eating, breeding, or causing any kind of structural damage. You’ll see them on the southern side of your home on sunny days when the warmth fools them into thinking its time to leave their winter shelter.
The bad news
Besides the unpleasant smell, I had the disagreeable experience of accidentally sipping one into my mouth that had landed on my cup. Not only did it taste awful, but I ended up with a small blister on the inside of my lip. I consider myself fortunate after reading about a man that presented at an emergency room with “a case of irritant contact keratitis resulting from the chemical components of the bodily fluids of the bug” in his eye. I bring this up only as a strong recommendation to deal with any of these wandering insects sooner than later.
Besides these rare medical issues, once spring does arrive, these invasive insects are a major agricultural pest impacting fruit, berries, vegetables, ornamentals, and field crops. A special team of researchers came together with funding from the USDA and created the Stop BMSB website. If you are concerned about your farm or even your garden, this is a good place to go.
What to do about the ones in your home
If you only have a few, removing them without crushing them is the best bet. Make sure to get them outside or at least sealed up because, as previously mentioned, they smell bad.
A vacuum can be useful for larger numbers, although you don’t want them remaining in your vacuum bag for long. Using the wand attachment with a stocking inserted inside the hose will help make disposal of captured BMSBs easier.
In some cases, the use of a trap light employing a glue board or pan of water will reduce numbers indoors. NOTE: heat from the light unit may increase the odor when these insects release scent under stress. NYSIPM’s Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann talks about this in the video, What can you do if brown marmorated stink bugs get indoors?:
And, as always, you’ll want to work on excluding them before the next generation tries to spend next winter with you. Exclusion is a long-term integrated pest management strategy that will also help prevent other fall invaders as well.
Visit the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug webpage to learn more about your unwelcome housemates.
If you are not sure what kind of pest you have, you can search What’s Bugging You? by the season or the location in your home.