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A guest post from Stu the Stink Bug
I'm baaaack! Did you miss me? Wait... I know the answer. I'm not your favorite bug; I know. But can you blame me for wanting to take up residence in your house? I may be a stink bug, but I have standards. Would YOU want to spend the winter underneath a stinky, rotting stump? Yeah, I didn't think so.
So once my internal alarm clock has gone off and I've awakened from my hibernation spot in the attic, I sometimes get a little seasonally confused because it's not always warm enough to leave the house. So I like to take a little time to explore my surroundings. It can be weeks until there's enough food outside to eat, so in the meantime, I'm going to check out the house... this place is like Disneyland!
You may wonder why you see me in so many different places -- the shower, the kitchen, the dinner table, the bedroom, the family room. It's quite simple, actually; I usually find my way down from the attic through a vent or light fixture -- or, I might just fall down when the attic door is opened under me (oops!). I like to follow the heat... it reminds me of what it was like in the summer, when I was footloose and fancy free! I really don't mean to get in your hair... really. The truth is, I don't like to be around humans too much. It makes me feel threatened when they get too close. And when I feel threatened, well... that's when you find out how we stink bugs get our name. Contrary to popular belief, I'm not drawing ten more of my buddies when I stink-bomb you. It actually encourages them to stay away!
You're probably wondering when you'll be free of me. It'll be soon; I promise. I'll be going outside once the trees leaf out and the veggies in the garden are planted. I just love the Great Outdoors -- it's where stink bugs like me thrive and grow in numbers. Once I escape the house, I'll likely head to the nearest lush tree I can find so I can begin eating and cruising for mates. We stink bugs are quite prolific at growing big families, fast. I'll bet you didn't know that a single female stink bug can lay up to 400 eggs over the summer. I can't wait to have hundreds of little stinkers crawling around. We'll be on the lookout for a healthy vegetable garden with tomatoes, peppers and the like... 400 baby stink bugs means a lot of probosci to feed! Looking ahead, once summer is over, we'll all be looking for another nice house to spend the winter... preferably with a lot of nooks and crannies where we can hibernate undisturbed.
It's not such a bad life, being a stink bug... as long as you can stay away from the folks at RESCUE!® who are out to get us!
Happy Spring, and I'll see ya around!
(Editor's note: For more info about Stu and the best way to fight back against stink bugs, check out www.stinkbugsmackdown.com.)
Post Date:
March 30, 2012
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Talking stink bugs with "The Cajun Contractor"
Stink bugs are still on people's minds... Why do they come inside our homes? When will they wake up? Do they mate and multiply indoors? What's the best way to deal with them inside?Stephanie will be on hand to answer these and other stink bug questions on HomeTalk USA with Michael King, "The Cajun Contractor", Saturday, December 3 at 5:30 p.m. EST. Tune in to hear more about this bug we love to hate!
Michael's program is heard on multiple radio station affiliates across the country, and can be heard online here.
Post Date:
December 2, 2011
Tags:
stink bug trap, Stink Bugs
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Talking #stinkbugs on #gardenchat
Last week, we had the honor of guest-hosting #gardenchat, a weekly Twitter-based chat forum hosted by Brenda Haas of BGgarden. Gardening enthusiasts from all walks of life share growing, planting and design tips as well as recipes using the fruits (and vegetables, and herbs) of their labor. Gardenchat is every Monday from 9-10 Eastern Standard Time (6-7 PST).
The topic on November 21 was one we're certainly familiar with: stink bugs! Stink bugs are especially concerning for gardeners because they can destroy everything you plant -- tomatoes, peppers, squash, sunflowers... you name it! The hour went by in a flash-flood of tweets -- 1121 of them, to be exact. The transcript of our chat can be found here.
Among the most common questions (along with some answers not constrained by the 140-character limit) were these:
What do stink bugs look like?
Our favorite answer was "prehistoric tanks", but here's a visual so you can decide what they resemble. 
What is the stink bug life cycle?
The best visual that depicts their life cycle can be found here.
What are the current "hot spots" for stink bugs? Where will they be headed next?
The current heavy infestation areas (what we call the "red zone") for stink bugs include Pennsylvania (which is "stink bug ground zero"), New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. The states that are starting to become more infested are North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and New York.
How do stink bugs migrate?
Stink bugs are great hitchhikers! They can stow away on shipping containers (which is likely how they got to the U.S.) or even in luggage. Some stink bugs were recently found in Texas inside an RV.
Why might I be seeing fewer stink bugs this year?
Odd weather patterns -- like the heat waves and hurricanes in the mid-Atlantic states this summer -- may have had an effect on the nymph population. Also, there was far more spraying of orchards and crops this summer, as farmers tried to get more aggressive against these hardy bugs.
Do stink bugs have any natural predators?
The stink bugs from Asia which are causing the most headaches for people have no natural insect enemies in this country. That's how their numbers have been able to proliferate.
How do we rid our gardens of stink bugs?
You can save your garden before you even plant it next spring by using the RESCUE! Stink Bug Trap to catch the little stinkers when they wake up and start to emerge from houses. Every female can lay up to 400 eggs once she gets outside and starts mating, so the key is to break the cycle by trapping them.
Thanks to Brenda and the #Gardenchat folks for letting us be a part of your conversation!
Post Date:
November 29, 2011
Tags:
#gardenchat, Gardening, stink bug trap, Stink Bugs, twitter
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Understanding the stink bug life cycle: The battle moves indoors!
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!
Post Date:
October 3, 2011
Tags:
stink bug trap, Stink Bugs
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Pittsburgh's "Handy Andy" discusses the RESCUE! Stink Bug Trap
Andy Amrhein, owner of Evey True Value Hardware, is famous around Western Pennsylvania as the host of the "True Value Home Improvement Hour" on NewsRadio 1020 KDKA-AM in Pittsburgh. He also has a regular feature on KDKA-TV's "Pittsburgh Today Live" morning program. Today he told viewers of the TV program all about the new RESCUE! Stink Bug Trap, which another KDKA-TV reporter has called "the hottest thing in pest control right now".
Post Date:
July 14, 2011
Tags:
RESCUE, stink bug trap, Stink Bugs
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