How To Get Rid Of Stink Bugs At Home: 10 Ideal Preventive Measures

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how to get rid of stink bugs at home
Image credits: PestWorld.org

The unpleasant smell that stink bugs release when they are squished or feel threatened is how they get their name. Even though they are tiny, the unpleasant odour they release is strong and sticks to any surface they come into contact with, be it a wall, curtain, flooring, or anything else. The best defence against these pests is preventive measures, but even with these defences, stink bugs can still enter your home, especially in the colder months when they’re searching for a warm location to hibernate. If you want to learn how to get rid of stink bugs at home, continue reading this article.

How To Get Rid Of Stink Bugs At Home

Pest-proofing your home’s interior and exterior will help you keep stink bugs and other unwanted guests at bay during fall, especially as the weather becomes colder and people start getting ready for winter.

pest
Image credits: Wallenius Wilhelmsen

It’s advisable to address each one of the preventive measures separately for how to get rid of stink bags at home. Give one of these approaches a try.

1. Check the external lighting

Since light attracts stink bugs, think about replacing outside bulbs for lighting with sodium-vapour or yellow lights, which are believed to be less “appealing to bugs. (Sodium vapour lights are frequently used in large towns or close to beaches where sea turtles are breeding to lessen light pollution.)

how to get rid of stink bugs at home
Image credits: Jiangmen Synno Lighting Co., Ltd.

2. Apply essential oils

Eliminate stink bugs and improve the smell of your home at the same time to accomplish two goals at once. Combine sixteen ounces of water with ten drops of mint essential oil, then sprinkle windows and doors as well as other interior entrance points.

essential oils
Image credits: AromaWeb

3. Make use of soapy water

You can take benefit of the fact that stink bugs frequently swoop immediately upon feeling threatened. Pour enough warm water into a jar to fill it at the halfway mark, then fill the bottom with dish detergent soap. 

how to get rid of stink bugs at home
Image credits: Depositphotos

If you position the solution underneath the bug, it will probably fall into the water. You can toss the stink bug into the water, which will sink it if it doesn’t fall in. Next, flush the stink bug down the toilet along with some soapy water.

4. Use vacuum

Some people purchase a small shop vacuum specifically designed to tackle stink bug infestations. You can also utilise a vacuum that you presently own, but apply this tip carefully. Only vacuum cleaners that have bags on them can take advantage of this technique. To avoid a stink bomb from arising, you must discard the bags containing insects right away.

5. Implement this garlic spray to get rid

As a natural preventative, garlic drives away stink bugs. Combine two mugs of water with four teaspoons of garlic powder to make a homemade garlic sprayer. Apply the mixture to entrances and window frames where stink bugs are prone to enter. 

6. Reduce the Amount of Moisture

Extremely humid areas with standing water or insufficient airflow are thought to be stink bug places to reproduce. Stink bugs are drawn to moisture in your home as well. Thus, dry it out, whether that entails replacing a leaking faucet or making a superb investment in a dehumidifier. If you believe that any emergency drainage lines are entering through the drain, you can also immediately cover them with tape.

7. Examine the points of entry

Examine every potential point of entry and seal off any visible gaps or fractures first. Check the frames of your windows (particularly those that get a lot of sunshine), your doors, the wood panelling on the outside, and even the spaces around your outlets and lighting fixtures.

main gate
Image credits: Housing

Any locations that are in doubt should be sealed (for glass, a silicone-based solution is advised) or bigger openings and potential entry points should be fixed.

8. Use Adhesive Pad

Make a long-handled stink bug catcher out of a dry sweep mophead by covering it with an adhesive lint eliminator sheet. Catching any bugs that can climb high, is an ideal step for how to get rid of stink bugs at home.

9. Maintain your cooking area tidy

If you’ve only been storing food in chip clips, you could choose to give it another thought and move to sealed containers that are airtight. Similarly to other pests, food invites stink bugs to your home. 

how to get rid of stink bugs at home
Image credits: Houzz

Removing the stink bugs’ accessibility to food will reduce their attraction to your home, which is the aim of making it more difficult for them to stay alive and develop once they’re inside. We assure you that neither your brown rice nor your tortilla chips should include stink bugs.

10. Examine the items you own

Examine things before getting them inside, such as supermarket bags and boxes holding festive decorations. Upon entering the house, stink bugs might settle down and travel on these objects.

vegetables bag
Image credits: Double R Bags

Keep in mind that stink bugs can be handled in houses before they become an issue. However, if you think an infestation has already started, get in touch with a pest control expert so they can determine the extent of the issue and the most effective way of how to get rid of stink bugs at home.

Conclusion 

Although stink bugs are a horrible annoyance, you can prevent them from entering your home during the winter and eradicate those that do by taking the above preventative measures for how to get rid of stink bugs at home. Hopefully, as warmer weather hits, these bugs will only be seen outside!

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