Smell that? Stink bugs are settling into homes across Kentucky
By WLKY Digital Team
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LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (WLKY) — Check your showers, beds and other warm places. As temperatures begin to trend down, so move in the dreaded stink bugs.
WLKY spoke to Jonathan L. Larson, assistant professor of extension entomology at the University of Kentucky, about the stinky pests.
He said during the summer, they’re agricultural pests, feeding on numerous crops, including apples and peppers and corn. But as autumn comes around, they need a place to over the winter, and that’s why they start looking at your house.
“They see our homes as sort of a deluxe set of logs and rocks that are heated, that will protect them from the long winter,” Larson said.
The good news is they likely aren’t duplicating in your home.
“Once they get inside, they aren’t looking to feed or mate but simply to wait out the cold weather,” Larson said.
Eventually, when it gets warmer, they will leave on their own.
If you need to prevent or get rid of them earlier, here’s what Larson suggests:
“They need to pass proof their home by checking caulking, window screens, and any other areas with gaps that might be used to infiltrate. Ceiling these areas will help to prevent stink bug entry. If they see large gatherings of them on the outside of their house they can also mix up soapy water and pour it or spray it onto those bugs in order to destroy them. Some folks may also pursue insecticides as a perimeter treatment though this is best done by a professional.”
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