Archive for the Stink Bugs Category
Posted on January 14, 2013 with No Comments
It is common to encounter the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, along with Asian Lady Bugs, Western Conifer Seed Bugs, Cluster Flies, Box Elder Bugs and other varieties of insects we term “Occasional Invaders” in and around your home this time of the year. This increase in Stink Bug activity in our area has grown over the past 10 years as they have migrated up from Pennsylvania.
It is important to note these creatures are not intending to lay eggs or establish nesting sites. They are seeking out warm spots around windows, wall voids and attic spaces to spend the winter months. They will exit your building in the spring when you may observe them in large numbers again. Their presence is problematic because on warm days in the winter time, they will get confused, and invade your living space in large numbers seeking to exit. This may happen several times over the winter months.
Stink Bugs prefer outdoors, they are generally found in the gardens and plants, flowers around the outside. But they will find their way into homes and structures during the fall when the weather starts to get cold at night.. The odor they are known for releasing, when they land on most surfaces, (or get squished) is one of the main reasons they will return year after year and use that structure to hibernate for the winter. They are also attracted to light and will usually find their way indoors. Our homes provide a warm shelter from the rain, and cold so they will work their way under the siding, into soffits, around windows and door frames, under roof shingles, and into any crawl space or attic vent small enough for them to get into. Sometimes the warmth inside the home will trigger them to become active indoors during the winter months as well.
Our Treatment Methods
There is an specific treatment that we provide to target these all pests we label as “Over-Wintering Insects.” The appropriate timing for prevention is August 15th thru September 30th and focuses on the areas outside the home to prevent, if not reduce the activity you would otherwise see without a treatment. In addition the more important feature of the program are the 2 additional topical applications done in May and September to host trees/shrubs on your property.
The Premium Over-Wintering Program and its treatments are specifically designed to target invasive species like the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, Western Conifer Seed Bug and Asian Ladybird Beetle, this program treats two critical stages of the insect lifecycle. Trees and shrubs surrounding your home are treated in the fall to kill adult insects feeding before their winter hibernation. In addition a barrier treatment protects your home with products that kills invasive insects on contact. When they land to gain entry into your home behind window frames or via soffits they contact the chemical and expire. But that’s not all! Our program protects you year round with foliar treatments again in the spring. This application kills adults as they emerge, but before they can reproduce in the spring. This effectively interrupts the breeding cycle of overwintering pests. All this is included in the Premium Over-Wintering Program option for service as well as callbacks for maintenance in between. We can schedule treatment to begin immediately.
Additional Prevention by Exclusion
Keeping stink bugs out of your home is as easy – and difficult – as sealing any and all entry points. At 3/4 of an inch and relatively flat, stink bugs can squeeze into tiny openings including cracks and crevices around windows, doors, siding, around wires and pipes, behind chimneys and along fascia. To effectively exclude stink bugs, these gaps should be filled with silicone or silicone-latex caulk. In addition, screens on windows and doors should be inspected for tears that permit stink bug entry; fixing or replacing damaged items as needed.
Posted on January 11, 2013 with No Comments
Stink bugs are still a problem in New York.
The National Pest Management Association (NPMA) encourages homeowners to take proactive steps to prevent a stink bug infestations..
J.P. McHale Pest Management offers the following stink bug prevention tips:
The best way to address overwintering pests is also the most difficult: exclusion. These insects are adapted to exploit tiny cracks and crevices leading to safe harborage areas. Eliminating entry points is a guaranteed way to provide long-term control. Here are just a few tips to keep overwintering pests out of your home.
- Screen exterior vents that lead into the home
- Seal pipe chases and openings around wires with expanding foam
- Eliminate cracks, crevices, and openings around doors, window frames, fascia, etc. with caulk (silicone)
- Replace or repair damaged screens or doors
- Remove window air conditioning units that provide direct access to interior
If an infestation has developed, a licensed pest professional should be contacted to evaluate and assess the severity problem.
The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB), so named for the production of an alarm pheromone when disturbed, is an invasive species introduced to Allentown, PA in the 1990’s. This insect is approximately 3/4 of an inch long, has a 5-sided, shield-shaped body, and can be distinguished from native stinkbugs as having an alternating black and white pattern on wing margins and light-colored bands on the antennae. The BMSB feeds on plant juices with piercing/sucking mouthparts, thus damaging fruit and rendering apples, pears, peaches, etc. aesthetically unacceptable for sale. From September to November, BMSB seeks southwest-facing, light-colored structures such as rocks, homes or offices. Gaining access through tiny cracks and crevices, stink bugs can enter homes in large numbers to spend the winter. When ambient temperatures warm up in the spring, stink bugs emerge from their overwintering phase and leave homes from April to June.
If you see Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs in your home, please do not hesitate to contact us!
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Posted on September 28, 2012 with No Comments
Green stink bug. (Credit: iStockphoto/Daniel Cooper)
Many of us on the East Coast had encounters with the dreaded stink bug this summer. The green stink bug is one of the most damaging native stink bug species in the United States.
A new article in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management, “Biology and Management of the Green Stink Bug,” offers farmers and growers advice on how to deal with this insect pest. The authors describe the green stink bug’s life cycle, seasonal biology, host plants, and management options such as pheromone trapping, chemical control, cultural control, and biological control.
Posted on March 28, 2012 with No Comments
Doug Inkley, whose home was invaded by thousands of stink bugs last year, holds one on his finger.
Hotter than usual springtime temperatures could lead to an earlier arrival of summertime critters — including a stink bug invasion. In America, 2,550 heat records were set during the week of March 18, and unseasonably warm weather forces the dreaded bugs to break out of hibernation earlier than usual, Business Insider reported. Halyomorpha halys, better known as stink bugs or “stinkers,” originally come from Asia and were first spotted in the U.S. in 1998, in Allentown, Pa. The insects have spread throughout the country in recent years, having been spotted in 37 states (including New York) and becoming a major agricultural pest, ruining fruit and vegetable crops. In Pennsylvania, the bugs were to blame for a reported 25% loss in apples and stone fruits during 2010, according to the state’s Department of Agriculture website.
Since stink bugs aren’t known to transmit disease or cause any physical harm, they’re no more than a nuisance to humans — just don’t step on them. When squashed, the hard-shelled insects emit an odor that’s “pungent and obtrusive, but not harmful,” according to the website.
Last year, a Maryland man was nearly forced out of his home when it was invaded by tens of thousands of stink bugs, the Washington Post reported. “When you find them in your food, in your sink, in your bed, in your hair and everywhere else, it’s a problem,” he told the newspaper.
Over nine months, Doug Inkley counted 56,205 of the bugs in his house and garden. The invasion cost him $10,000, and some bugs still remain.
Stink bugs aren’t the only unwanted critters to keep an eye out for this year. With the warm weather comes a earlier crop of beetles, ants, termites and even mosquitoes, USA Today reported. “We’re seeing insects out there that we don’t usually see this time of year,” Missy Henriksen of the National Pest Management Association told the newspaper. “Several states have even reported tick sightings, which is especially worrisome as people head outdoors to enjoy the weather and are unprepared for tick encounters.”
Posted on March 22, 2012 with No Comments
Stink Bug
The news has been riddled with stories of bed bug infestations around the New York in the past few years, yet this time of the year the pest that has most people worried about stink bugs. While they do not cause notable physical harm, they can destroy crops, smell when crushed and they will find a way to get into your home. Stink bugs (aka Western Conifer Seed Bug), like other pests, are going to find refuge from the cold harsh climate of the winter season…and your home is a perfect place. The significant difference is that stink bugs usually try and start finding a warmer spot about a month earlier than other bugs. This means that as the temperature drops during late September and October the amount of stink bug complaints will be on the rise. If you spot a stink bug make sure u do not commit the cardinal sin of crushing them. They release a foul odor, hence the name “stink bug,” therefore, one should gentle pick the insect up with a piece of paper of some tissue like substance (paper towel, toilet tissue, etc…), or vacuum them up. Stink bugs have a very similar lifestyle to Lady Bugs as well, the most common room that you will find these bugs are in the bathrooms.
We offer an Overwintering Insect program that is designed to prevent these pests from gaining access to your home. Please contact us today for more information before it’s too late.
Posted on October 25, 2011 with No Comments
Here’s a great article, How to Get Rid of Stink Bugs Safely Around Children, written by Matt Frye, an Entomologist at JP McHale’s Pest Management located in Buchanan, NY. The article was recently published by and can be at DinkerandGiggles.com
Posted on October 19, 2011 with No Comments
Cornell Stink Bug Photo
Cornell University is seeking the public’s help to dentify locations where Brown Marmorated Stinkbug (Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) are being spotted.
“The Stink Bug Project began a year ago to address the potential impact this invasive species could have on NYS commercial agricultural commodities while documenting its pest status in the urban environment. The Hudson Valley Region, along with Metropolitan NY and Long Island may currently be the leading edge of the population expansion. By monitoring several agricultural commodities in the region, collecting, verifying and documenting the population spread along the agricultural-urban interface, we hope to assist residents and agricultural producers alike in understanding this pest and mediating its impact.“
Posted on October 3, 2011 with No Comments
Photo's & Story Accredited to: Matt Frye, MS, PhD, Urban Entomologist JP McHale Pest Management, Inc.
It’s a beautiful fall day, and through my open windows I can appreciate the changing of seasons. Buzzzz…. clunk! But there it is again, a sound that brings frustration and anxiety. Hesitantly, I glance over from my typing machine and observe the small 5-sided body creeping along the screen. It pauses, orients, and starts moving again as it looks for an entry point around the window frame. And so begins another invasion by the brown marmorated stink bug!
The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) and I share a long history. I went to college in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where this insect first arrived in the US on a shipment from the Orient. With piercing/sucking mouthparts, this BMSB feeds on plant juices, damages fruit and renders apples, pears, peaches, and other fruits aesthetically unacceptable for sale. During summer months, stink bugs feed on a variety of host plants and large numbers can be found in agricultural fields. Their reign of terror continues into the fall, when adults seek overwintering sites to protect them from harsh winter conditions. Around widows and doorframes in our Allentown dormitories, we encountered so-called “crunchy bugs” that made a pungent odor when crushed. The BMSB has since spread to several states, and is reported as for north as Maine, south to North Carolina, and west to Michigan with new populations in Wisconsin and Washington. A once unknown pest, the BMSB now receives great attention at trade shows and other events to which I bring my insect display. When viewing the 3/4 inch, brown, shield shaped insect, onlookers protest, “how do I get rid of stink bugs?!”
The BMSB belongs to the pest management professional’s category of “overwintering pest,” which also includes the Western conifer seed bug, the multicolored Asian ladybird beetle, the boxelder bug, and cluster flies. As fall approaches and important cues such as cooler temperatures, shorter days, and decreased quality of host-plant material arrives, these insects start their assault on homes and other structures. Why? In their natural habitat, overwintering insects seek southwest-facing, light-colored structures such as rocks that are warmed by afternoon sun. These areas provide some protection and buffering against cold winter temperatures, and enhance survival of the insects. Where buildings have replaced natural landscapes, these structures now provide similar cues to insects preparing for winter. Some overwintering pests use pheromones to form large aggregations, later fleeing to enter buildings. For the most part, overwintering pests cause no damage for the homeowner. However, some species can bite and leave fecal stains (boxelder bug), while a mass of dead insects (ladybird beetles) is displeasing to homeowners.
The best way to address overwintering pests is also the most difficult: exclusion. These insects are adapted to exploit tiny cracks and crevices leading to safe harborage areas. Eliminating entry points is a guaranteed way to provide long-term control. Here are just a few tips to keep overwintering pests out of your home.
- Screen exterior vents that lead into the home
- Seal pipe chases and openings around wires with expanding foam
- Eliminate cracks, crevices, and openings around doors, window frames, fascia, etc. with caulk (silicone)
- Replace or repair damaged screens or doors
- Remove window air conditioning units that provide direct access to interior
If you experienced an infestation in the past, or have recently observed large numbers of insects invading your home, consult your pest management professional for treatment options.
Posted on September 29, 2011 with No Comments
The National Pest Management Association (NPMA) encourages homeowners to take proactive steps to prevent a stink bug infestation in and around the home this fall.
NPMA offers the following stink bug prevention tips:
- Seal and caulk cracks around windows, doors, siding, utility pipes, behind chimneys and underneath the wood fascia and other openings.
- Repair or replace damaged screens on windows or doors.
- Keep outdoor lighting to a minimum as stink bugs are attracted to lights.
- If stink bugs have already entered a home, use a vacuum cleaner for their removal and dispose of the bag immediately.
- If an infestation has developed, a licensed pest professional should be contacted to evaluate and assess the severity problem.
