Do you have brown bugs all over your exterior walls? Are you wondering if they are stink bugs? Well, there is a good chance they are. This is definitely the time of year when these bugs start to become a major problem. Here are some easy ways to distinguish this bug from other brown bugs, and practical measures you can take to protect your home.
If you've ever had the unsavory displeasure of dealing with stink bugs in your home, this list of identifying qualities will most likely cause you to nod knowingly.
- This shield-shaped brown bug has a pattern on its shell that looks like bad reception on your television set.
- You're most likely to find stink bugs on your door screens, window screens, in your curtains, on your walls, on your Vizio flat screen and perched on hanging light fixtures or ceiling fans.
- This bug is also recognizable by the way it flies. Poorly. That's right. Stink bugs are horrible fliers. You would be too if you were as thick and as heavy as one of these bugs.
- Stink bugs are hard shelled. If the bug you're looking at doesn't have a tank-like quality to it, it isn't a stink bug.
- These are insects. So you can expect them to have 6 legs, two antennae, and three body parts. But you wouldn't know it to look at them. They appear to have only two: a head and a body. But the body is actually two parts. Don't let them fool you.
Now that you know what a stink bug looks like, here are a few things you need to know about keeping them out.
- The best defense for any bug is good, working screens. Make sure your screens don't have any holes. These little shield-shaped bugs will take no time exploiting a ripped screen.
- Screen doors are especially vulnerable to stink bug intrusion. This is a hard-shelled bug that is able to slide through the bristles on weather stripping when you open your sliding screen door.
- Stink bugs are notorious for getting in through places you wouldn't imagine, like dryer exhausts and chimneys. Consider covering your vents and exhausts with screening, and be aware that stink bugs can slip in when you open the damper on your chimney. Some people get a damper installed on the top of their chimney to keep bugs from climbing down when the fire is out.
- If you have a lot of stink bugs crawling in your curtains and buzzing around your interior lights, it may be time for more serious measures. Call the pest control professionals here at Parkway Pest Services and have your home inspected.
- If you are successful at keeping stink bugs out but have had enough of them crawling all over your exterior walls and screening, it is time to take the next step and have your walls treated by us also.
The brown marmorated stink bug is a real pain this time of year. If you live in New York and have had it with stink bugs, give us a call. Our experts can help.