Ugh. Stink bugs. They…stink. Literally.
It’s that time of year again – time for these flat little shield-shaped insects to take over yards and gardens all across America, particularly in the south where I live. They love nothing more than to crawl inside your air-conditioned, food-full home and wait patiently for you to accidentally step on them and stink up your house. At least, I think that’s what they’re doing.
The Asheville Citizen Times has a good new article out about how to keep stink bugs at bay in your garden. Some of the tips they offer are to:
- Winterize your home against bugs, creating barriers to entry (too late!)
-Vacuum up bugs already in your home to avoid that cilantro-esque smell
-Remove them to the outdoors rather than smooshing them
-Use chemical pesticides to get rid of them
Brown stink bugs, first known in the US in the early 2000s, don’t have a ton of enemies in the bug world, but birds like them. Placing a birdfeeder or bird bath near your garden may get some of them picked off naturally.
And if you really can’t get rid of them, it’s probably best to call a pest professional as they’re known to nest in attics and breed like rabbits.
