Those shield-shaped brown bugs are almost certainly stink bugs. The ones you are seeing are most likely the brown marmorated stink bug that's common across Massachusetts.
They’re everywhere. And you’re wondering what they are, these bugs with flat, shield-like bodies and mottled brown color. If you’re unlucky enough to crush them and smell that telltale odor, you’ll know immediately: they’re stink bugs.
Stink bugs are usually about three-quarters of an inch long and have alternating light-and-dark banding on the antennae and along the edge of the abdomen. It’s the shield- or kite-like outline that separates them most easily from other garden bugs.
Summer is when stink bugs like to feed. They go after fruit and vegetables (and sometimes ornamentals) to suck out the juices. Vegetable patches or fruit trees are natural draws, which is part of why you can find them in these places in the warm months. They start looking for warmer shelter as the weather turns cold in the fall.
They aren't native, by the way. The brown marmorated stink bug came from Asia and is now established across the Northeast, where it's both an agricultural pest and a household nuisance.
Stink bugs are fairly easy to spot once you know what they look like. But if you’re still not quite sure, here’s how you can tell them apart from lookalikes. Squash bugs are narrower and tend to stay on squash and pumpkin vines. Boxelder bugs are black with red lines. Plenty of harmless native stink bugs exist as well, but it’s the brown marmorated stink bug that is the biggest problem and the one you’re likely running into.
The good news is that they’re not dangerous. They don’t bite, sting, or spread disease. The biggest problems they tend to cause are plant damage and trying to come indoors when the weather turns cold.
If you’re sick of stink bugs, Mosquito Squad of Boston Metro South can help. Mosquito Squad can help control stink bugs and other invaders before they get indoors through perimeter treatment. Every treatment is applied by a trained technician alongside the seasonal barrier service that can provide an up to 90% reduction in mosquito activity on a 21-day cycle.
