Yes, and the best time to start is before they arrive. Preventing a home invasion comes down to sealing the gaps they squeeze through and treating the exterior ahead of the fall migration.
If you dealt with stink bugs piling into the house last fall, you know just how much of a pain they can be. Getting ahead of it this year is absolutely doable, but you have to start early.
Stink bugs head for shelter when nights cool in fall. Once they’re settled inside your walls, you cannot easily get them out. Every gap you close before then is one they can’t use, so prevention done in advance goes a long way.
The first thing you’ll want to do is seal entry points. Caulk the gaps around windows, doors, pipes, cables, and outlets, the spots where utilities enter, around the dryer vent, and where siding meets trim. Fix the screens and vents as well by repairing torn window and door screens, and adding screening to attic, gable, and crawlspace vents.
After that, take care of large openings by weather-stripping doors and adding sweeps. Close the gap under the garage door. You can also reduce the draw a little bit by managing exterior lighting at night in fall since they’re pulled toward warm, sunlit walls.
If a few still slip in, vacuum them up rather than crushing them, since crushing brings the smell, and make a note of where they appeared so you can seal that spot next.
All this said, if you’ve already dealt with stink bug invasions in the past and don’t want to risk it, you may want to invest in a perimeter pest control treatment. That way, pests that do head for the home are knocked down before they can get inside.
If you're tired of the same fall stink bug invasion year after year, Mosquito Squad of Rhode Island can help. This can be done through exterior perimeter treatments timed before the migration to help keep them out. These are applied by a trained technician alongside the barrier service that also provides an up to 90% reduction in mosquito activity on a 21-day cycle.
