Stink Bug Alert: ‘The Next 6 Weeks Are Going to Be Mayhem’
As we head into the colder months, stink bugs are making their move.
Are you tired of stink bugs? Yeah, I think we everybody is at this point. We're sure you've noticed that stink bugs have started making their way indoors.
Stink bugs spend the summer filling up on fruits and vegetables, then make their way indoors in preparation for Winter hibernation. That would explain why you're spotting them in your homes.
Once in your home, they produce a chemical compound that draws other stink bugs to that area. There many different ways to remove the stink bugs from your home.
Native to Asia, stink bugs are a very unattractive nuisance for homeowners. However, they pose a greater risk to farmers. The insects feed on apples, peaches, pears, tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, and other fruits and vegetables.
Peter Jentsch, Director of the Hudson Valley Research Laboratory said:
They're coming off a feeding frenzy and they're congregating in homes they haven't been in all summer, ready to hibernate. The next six weeks are going to be mayhem. They're a huge agricultural pest. We're at a point in the Hudson Valley where they're really starting to see fruit injury.
Jentsch and other researchers are working several solutions to the problem. One solution is samurai wasps, as they can kill the stink bugs by laying their own eggs in stink bug larvae.
Researchers raised Samurai Wasps in the lab and deployed them on 10 orchards in six different counties in New York.
In the meantime, to protect your home from stink bugs, check for any openings around windows or doors that the bugs can squeeze through.