What Do Stink Bugs Eat? Understanding Their Diet

It’s that time of year again when stink bugs and other occasional invaders start finding their way into your home. But what do stink bugs like to feed on? And could their favorite foods be attracting them to your home? In this blog, we’ll break down what exactly stink bugs feed on and the steps you can take to prevent them from invading your home this fall.

Outdoor Diet

Stink bugs, like other occasional invader pests, are primarily herbivorous, so their diets consist mostly of plants. Using their piercing mouthparts, stink bugs suck juices from a variety of plants, including fruits, vegetables, and vines. While other garden pests may chew through plants, leaving behind bite marks or skeletonized leaves, stink bugs don't leave obvious signs of damage. Instead, you may notice slight scarring on produce, puncture marks on fruits and vegetables, or plants turning yellow or brown.

Depending on where you live, you may have heard of brown marmorated stink bugs (sometimes called BMSBs). Brown marmorated stink bugs are an invasive species of stink bug that can aggressively feed on garden and ornamental plants. These stink bugs feed on nearly 200 plant species and are a real nuisance in your garden and home.

There aren't really any food sources that would bring stink bugs into your house unless you have window beds with susceptible crops, like tomatoes. So, if food isn’t attracting stink bugs to your house, what makes them come into your home?

Indoor Diet

Stink bugs, like most insects, are cold-blooded animals. This means that they cannot produce their own body heat and instead rely on moving to warm areas to stay warm. When temperatures drop in fall and winter, and their natural habitats in our backyards become too cold, stink bugs seek out warmer places to live… aka, our homes!

Once stink bugs get inside your home, their food sources begin to dwindle. Unless you live inside a greenhouse, there aren't nearly as many plants for these pests to feed on once they get inside. So… what do stink bugs eat inside? Well, nothing. The stink bugs in your home typically won't eat anything, not even your houseplants. They will either find a nook in your home, maybe in the corner of a room or in the attic, and slow down their metabolisms to wait out the cold weather, or they’ll die trying.

Prevention

Part of what makes stink bugs such a pest is their presence in the home. Often, stink bugs gather in clusters for warmth. Even worse is finding dead stink bugs lining your windowsills, doorways, or behind pieces of furniture.

To keep stink bugs out of your house, make sure they have no entry points. Check that doors and windows seal completely when closed, that there are no gaps around window penetrations like AC units or plumbing and utility lines leading into the home, and that there are no structural gaps or holes around the outside of the building. Stink bugs are small, and any opening can become an entry point.

Pests Stink. Call the Squad!

If stink bugs are stinking up the peace of your home, it's time to call your local Mosquito Squad Plus. Our trained technicians know how to identify pest problem areas, including entry points. Once our techs inspect your home, they will work with you to develop a customized, comprehensive plan to meet your unique pest needs. Call your local Squad today to set up your next service! Services vary by location.