That Foul Odor Of Rotting Fruit That Permeates Your Home During The Winter Is Coming From Hundreds Or Thousands Of Stink Bugs Hiding In Your Wall Voids
Do you detect a foul odor inside your home, but can’t seem to figure out where it is coming from? You’ve made sure the kitchen is spotless, put out all the trash, checked for dead rodents hiding in any corners, and still that smell permeates the air. Does it smell oddly of rotting fruit or, even stranger, decaying almonds? Did you even know what decaying almonds smelled like? Well, thankfully, it’s not being caused by any of the above and you aren’t going crazy. The culprit this time is the infamous stink bug.
Winter is fast approaching and that means many insects are desperately searching for a warm place to take shelter from the coming cold weather. The brown marmorated stink bug is one of these many pests aiming to invade your home. It’s not difficult to figure out if this bug is hanging out inside your house, as their distinctive odor resembling rotting fruit or decaying almonds makes them hard to miss. They release this odor when feeling threatened or if smushed, possibly by you trying to rid yourself of the vile pest. They are getting ready to hibernate and are sneaking into homes this season in the largest predicted numbers ever. You may be one of the lucky few that only see a few dozen, but that number could easily rise to the hundreds and even thousands.
While the brown marmorated stink bug is native to Asia, they showed up in the United States in mid ‘90s. They’ve been spreading like the plague ever since and are now a fixture in 44 states. They are harmless to humans when it comes to biting or stinging, but their odor may just drop you where you stand. They key to not experiencing an invasion of thousands of these stinky pests is to prevent them from entering your home in the first place. This involves blocking off all potential entryways such as cracks in the walls and tears in window and door screens, as well as openings in attics or crawl spaces. One useful tip is to rub fragrant dryer sheets over any screens, which can incredibly lower your chances of infestation by 80 percent. Do not squish any live ones you spot, as this will release that vile odor; instead sweep them up carefully and flush them down the toilet or vacuum them up and immediately dispose of the bag to get rid of any smell that could be released.
Have you encountered any stink bugs in your home this fall season?
