Bug Blog

It’s no secret that stink bugs have begun their march toward the home, and that some have already invaded. If you haven’t seen any indoors yet, they are likely preparing to enter as they cluster on the side of your house or on your porch. When the weather cools, a switch goes off in their little stink bug brains which tells them that the time has come to stop eating and mating outside, and start invading your home for shelter.

Catching stink bugs during this transition from outside to inside requires patience. There is no quick fix or overnight solution.

First of all, there will come a time – and for some, it’s already here – where the stink bugs no longer respond to the outdoor pheromone attractants used in the RESCUE! Stink Bug Trap because they have switched into hibernation mode and want only to enter your home.

If you move our trap from outdoors to indoors with the new RESCUE! Stink Bug Light during this transition, you will catch the more active stink bugs as they come in. The best location is in an attic. But if you see stink bugs in your living space, you should also place the trap & light where they are entering – if you can find it – or at least where you’ve seen the stink bugs.

Most stink bugs entering homes will do so in the attic, but some will find their way in through living spaces as well. This process can continue for 3-6 weeks, depending on the weather in the area. Once they are safely indoors, many will “clump” in a dark part of the room or attic for hibernation. Please be patient as not all the stink bugs you see moving in your house will respond to the light right now – some only want to sleep.

Every stink bug you catch in the attic now is one less that can invade your living space later. The light on the trap must be the main light source wherever you install it. If your attic has a power source, you can use the wall plug for a no-maintenance, constant-on, season-long installation. If you don’t have a wall outlet nearby, a battery pack is provided that takes two AA batteries. These will last about one week with the light on continuously. The lights are LEDs; they emit virtually no heat, making it safe to leave on in your attic. The lights also use very little energy and last for 100,000 hours.  

During the winter months, due to varying temperatures in your home as you heat it, some stink bugs will wake up from hibernation, believing it is spring. Without our trap, these are the bugs that you will see in your living spaces when they follow the heat source through a vent or light fixture.

If the trap & light are placed in the attic and left on, they will act as a sentinel, helping to lure and capture many of these early risers before you see them landing on your TV screen or dive-bombing your dinner table.
In the spring, when stink bugs wake from hibernation, our trap & light are still the first line of defense in the attic, trapping them and keeping them from moving toward other light sources during the day and finding their way into your living spaces on their way outside.

Every stink bug you catch indoors is one less that will find its way onto your fruit tree or into your garden. With every female caught, you have eliminated potentially hundreds more stink bugs, keeping them from attacking your garden and landscape, only to move back into your home again next fall.

Those who have been consistently using the RESCUE! Stink Bug Trap outdoors to catch both adult and juvenile stink bugs during the summer have already reported fewer numbers of stink bugs trying to get inside now.

We CAN break the stink bug life cycle – it just takes time, patience, and consistent use of the RESCUE! Stink Bug Trap!