Winter Stink Bugs

If you've lived in our coverage area of Northern Virginia and Maryland for any length of time, you are familiar with stink bugs. These shield-shaped bugs can be quite frustrating, especially in fall when they invade homes by the hundreds. But, if you haven't had the displeasure of realizing it yet, they can also be a pain in the winter.

We all know that stink bugs want to come into our homes in fall to escape the colder temperatures, but here are a few things you may not know about stink bugs in winter:

• Stink bugs don't hibernate, but it can seem like it. If your home gets invaded every winter, you might notice that those stink bugs take a break around January and February. This is only because your home doesn't have available food sources for these pests, which forces them into a low-energy state called diapause. In this state, they move slowly or stop altogether in an effort to conserve energy.

• In the "wild," stink bugs hide under bark or inside old logs. It is imperative for them to find a place where the wind chill can't cause them to freeze and die. Cold temperatures have the same effect as a lack of food sources. Stink bugs slow down or come to a complete stop, as they wait for the cold to pass.

• In your home it is spring all winter long. If you have slow-moving stink bugs in your curtains, it isn't because of the temperature. It is due to the lack of food sources. But, some homes have plenty of food for those stink bugs to eat. If you've been thinking, "My stink bugs don't slow down or stop!" This is the reason.

• Most of what a stink bug wants to eat cannot be found in your home, like potato beetles or root weevils. But, they will be happy to feast on any fruit you leave lying around on the counter. This will give them the energy to stay active all winter long.

• If you have a ton of stink bugs, you have some holes in your home that need to be filled. Have a professional pest controller come and do a detailed inspection. Sometimes these holes can be addressed with physical means like caulking or screens.

• If you only have a few stink bugs here and there, and you're worried that releasing them outside in the winter will only have them coming right back into your home, you needn't worry. It isn't likely that they will survive long enough to find their way back in. Without the protection of a layer of snow, the winter wind will kill these cold-blooded creatures quickly.

So, there you go. Now you know way more than you need to about winter stink bugs. Hopefully, it will help you to reduce the annoyance these pests can cause. If you need more help, or want to stop this yearly infiltration once and for all, the team here at American Pest would be happy to help you.