.2403121238090.jpg)
Have you heard about stink bugs? Maybe you had lots of them in and around your house last fall, so you’re very familiar with these common pests. If you’ve never seen these pests before, the New York pest control professionals at Parkway would like to let you in on a little secret: the stink bugs are coming! Well, it’s not actually a secret but experts believe we’ll have another year of high stink bug populations because since they arrived in the US in the 1990s, their numbers have been steadily growing.
What do stink bugs look like? The stink bug that was accidentally introduced into Pennsylvania in the 90s was the brown marmorated stink bug. These insects are shield shaped and a mottled brown color (you can tell the difference between the brown marmorated stink bug and the regular stink bug by their bellies. The brown marmorated stink bugs are brownish-gray underneath, while the brown stink bugs are pale green underneath). They grow to be just a little less than an inch in length and they possess small glands in their thorax that can emit a foul odor when they are threatened or crushed. In the late fall, these insects know that winter is coming and they will die if they stay outside. So the clever little bugs will huddle around the exterior of your home, looking for a way to get inside. If they make it in, they’ll find places to spend their winter inside your home. You may not notice them around until you have a warm and sunny day, possibly in January or February when all the stink bugs inside your home go looking for sources of light. They may huddle around windows and doors, searching for a way to get back outside.
From this point on, you may be finding a couple of stink bugs every day or maybe dozens of the pests, which can become a real problem inside a home! The last thing you want to do is spend your time vacuuming up (or killing by hand!) stink bugs inside your home.
To prevent stink bugs inside your home, the Westchester County pest control pros at Parkway would like to offer you a few stink bug prevention tips:
- Check the exterior of your property for any gaps in the structure. These can include areas around where utility pipes and wires come into your home, or cracks in the foundation. By sealing up these gaps you reduce areas of entry for stink bugs and other common pests.
- Cut back trees and shrubs from the exterior of your property; when vegetation is touching your home, a natural ‘bridge’ is created that allows insects to find easy access to your home.
- Enlist the Long Island exterminators at Parkway Pest Services to perform stink bug treatments in the late summer/early fall months to prevent these pests from getting inside in the first place! A perimeter treatment will offer stink bug control and protect your home from the other pests that may think your home is a great place to spend the winter!
Have you scheduled your annual stink bug prevention treatment with us yet? Our schedules are filling up fast, so make sure you give us a call today to schedule your stink bug treatment! For more information on stink bugs and our services, one of our friendly service representatives will be happy to explain our services to you and schedule a day and time when one of our qualified and experienced team members can visit your property to make sure that you stay protected from nuisance stink bugs all winter long!