There's no surefire way to keep stink bugs at bay from your home every winter, but researchers at Virginia Tech might have a clue.
VT researchers conducted two studies with the purpose of how to prevent the bugs from infiltrating your home as temperatures get colder.
The first study found that slits and gaps in your home that are three millimeters wide and holes less than seven millimeters can keep the majority of brown marmorated stink bugs out of your home. This species of bug is called Halyomorpha halys.
You should seal holes larger than three to seven millimeters and remove any long-dead stink bugs that could attract other stink bugs.
The bugs leave behind a strong odor that Charlie Church, the owner of Getem Services, has sniffed way too many times.
“It’s pretty pungent. You squish one of those things and they'll give out a great stink. Ugh, it's terrible and you don't wanna kill a whole bag full of them,” said Church.
Church said they'll follow the sunlight on the side of your home eventually making their way inside through tiny cracks and crevices.
But you won't need an entire pest control team to keep them out.
Simple steps at home can go a long way.
“The most important thing is to seal any holes screens, any small holes, around window sills,” said Church. “Just make sure when you vacuum them up, put them in the bag, throw the bag away, or the odor will stick around."
Church said he has noticed an increase in the population through the years in Hampton Roads.
"We are getting them more and more and they're feeding on the plant life. Farmers have a problem with them,” said Church.
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According to an entomology professor, stink bugs are not only a bother to homeowners, but they're a potential threat to farmers. In the winter, they'll hide out in your home, but once spring and summer comes, they start feeding on fruit and vegetable crops.
Most farmers work to control the influx of stink bugs by using insecticide treatments on the crops they feed on.
In another study, instructor Benjamin Chambers found that recently killed stink bugs will deter other stink bugs. However, the very opposite happens if they were killed sometime in the past. Bugs will aggregate around them.
You can read more about the studies here. You can also learn how to make a homemade stink bug trap here.