The brown marmorated stink bug has become one of the most common indoor insect pests in upstate New York, and their invasive population in the US is expanding with each passing year. These pests are generally most problematic for homeowners during the fall when dropping outdoor temperatures prompt the bugs to invade homes in large swarms in order to overwinter in warm shelter. Brown marmorated stink bugs take advantage of numerous entry points on the exterior of homes in order to secure warm shelter indoors. The most common of these entry points include attic vents, holes in window screens, and despite their relatively large size, they have no problem squeezing through cracks below shingles and cracks in foundations. Surprisingly, brown marmorated stink bugs can also invade a home through the chimney. For example, one resident, Paul Bedard, discovered thousands of both live and dead brown marmorated stink bugs in his chimney after struggling to control the pests in his home for months.o
Before the arrival of the fall season, stink bugs had been abundant on Bedard’s fruit trees and yard, but once October arrived, the bugs made a mad dash into his home and succeeded. The entry points that the bugs used to access his home were too numerous for Bedard to track down and seal, and once inside, the invasive stink bugs were found in a variety of indoor crevices and darkened areas, including behind his drapes and hanging framed pictures, as well as the narrow crevice where the rubber seal is located on his refrigerator door. After coming across literally thousands of brown marmorated stink bugs within his home over the course of weeks, Bedard began thinking that the pests were entering his home through his chimney, but he was initially afraid to check. Bedard placed a large amount of old newspapers in his fireplace and set them alight just before opening the flue. Thousands of dead stink bugs immediately dropped into the fireplace, while countless survivors scrambled out of the fireplace and into his home. Bedard later had his chimney treated with insecticides to prevent further stink bug issues.
Have you ever found numerous insect pests entering your home from your fireplace?
