Sting Bugs
Fall is here and that means you might start to see some small critters appear near your doors and windows. With a shield-shaped back and glands, the brown marmorated stink bug makes itself known.
“They’re trying to find somewhere warm to spend the winter. Unfortunately that often is a home or some other structure nearby,” said Andres Ortega, an ecologist at the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County.
Though they can be a nuisance, Ortega said there’s nothing to worry about if they do make their way inside. Stink bugs don’t cause structural damage, don’t bite, their odor is pungent but doesn’t cause harm, and they don’t eat in the winter.
“If you do for whatever reason want to remove them, the easiest way is to just get a container, scoop them in that container and take them outside,” said Ortega. “But keep in mind the moment you touch them, the moment they get moved around, you’re going to start smelling that odor.”
How to Avoid them in the Home
Some tips to prevent them from getting inside your home is checking your door and window seals and making sure there’s no holes in window screens. Usually there’s only a couple around the home but in the case you do find many, Ortega recommends to leave them be if possible.
“I wouldn’t consider that an infestation simply because just like they’re not feeding in your home, they’re not breeding in your home. They don’t breed indoors and so there’s no risk that if you see a lot somehow they’re all over and there’s eggs and they’re continuing the life cycle in your home.”
Come spring, the stink bugs will make their way out on their own so the can begin to breed.
Naperville News 17’s Aysha Ashley Househ reports.