Stink bugs mass on warm exterior walls and then look for openings that will allow them to overwinter in the home. These openings often include cracks along window trim, siding seams and corner junctions, soffit and roofline gaps, vents, and utility penetrations.
Stink bugs are not great roommates. It only takes one winter infestation to be made very aware of this fact. The trouble is that problems you notice in February often started in September, and it’s worth knowing why.
Stink bugs gather on warm exterior walls after the first cold snap. That usually means the south and west walls of houses, especially light-sided homes near woods, fields, orchards, or gardens where stink bugs gather after summer feeding.
While on the wall, stink bugs look for places to enter the home. No home is perfectly sealed against bugs and none can be, but some homes are easier to enter than others. Pests need only small gaps to get in, which can include things like: hairline cracks along window trim and frames, gaps at siding seams, corners, and where siding meets trim, openings under and behind soffits and along the roofline, attic and gable vents with aging screens, weep holes, spots where pipes, cables, and dryer vents pass through walls, and the gap under doors. Again, these are all very small spaces that stink bugs can enter owing to their flat bodies and tiny size.
Most stink bugs stop in wall voids or the attic. This is where they like to spend the winter. They don’t breed in your home or feed. They’re not damaging the structure. They just smell bad if you crush or startle them, and that’s reason enough to want them gone.
To prevent stink bug issues, the most important thing to do is seal exterior gaps in late summer or early fall. You may also choose to have a perimeter treatment done to prevent stink bugs from getting close to the home in the first place.
If you don’t want stink bugs in your home this winter, Mosquito Squad of Northwest Indiana can help. Mosquito Squad's home and yard coverage treats the perimeter where overwintering pests enter. This can help you protect the inside of your home before the stink bugs take over.
