Rodents, bed bugs, fleas, garden pests, and even yellowjacket wasps. You’ve probably heard of all of the usual suspects which keep residential pest control experts busy, but what about stinkbugs? Stinkbugs, specifically the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) have been spreading across Ontario and Canada for several years now. They’re more common than you might think, and most people know less about them than their typical pest partners. So what do you do if you find them, indoors or outdoors? How can you prevent them from spreading any further? You may be surprised to find out that certain habits can actually attract stinkbugs to your property. Read on to find out more about what you can do to combat any stinkbug infestation.

How Did Stinkbugs Get Here?

Like many pests throughout Ontario and Canada, brown marmorated stink bugs are native to Asia. They’re an invasive species that were first discovered in the northeastern United States in the early 2000s. Stinkbugs are incredibly active and tend to transfer to new locations through the crops they’ve infested. Since they’re only found in Ontario and Quebec, chances are they crossed a border in the northeast corner of the states along with the crops that were being transferred. In particular, they’re likely to be found in corn kernels and soybean seeds, though there are several species of trees they’ll inhabit as well.

When it comes to the winter months, they’ll suddenly become less interested in staying outdoors with the often brutal drop in temperature. Your warm, comfortable home might just be the perfect place to hole up for the winter.

How Can You Prevent Them from Spreading

The BMSB, like most other invasive pests, will do their best to infiltrate your home in fall when the temperatures begin to drop. You’ll know if they do – the smell is pretty obvious and certainly a noticeable one.

Perhaps the best way to prevent the rapid spread of BMSB is to make sure that your home isn’t an easy target for them in the first place. After they gain access to your home, you’ve got a serious residential pest control problem on your hands. The first piece of advice is to start proofing your home in the summertime. If you start looking for any easy access points in fall, it may already be too late.

Check each of your walls, around your windows and behind chimneys. If any of the screens on your doors are damaged, they’ll need to be fixed. Use a good quality silicone to seal any holes and even use a pesticide spray on the exterior of your home if you think it’s necessary. Another option is to install door sweeps, preventing them from crawling through any large gaps under your door.

What to Do if You Find Them

Sometimes, no matter what we do, the pests can still outsmart us. We can underestimate their tiny size and their huge determination to find new housemates. Once they’re inside your home, treatment options are reasonably limited. A vacuum cleaner can provide a quick fix. You can also sweep the bugs up with a broom and dustpan, but it’s unlikely to provide a complete removal. For this reason, you’re strongly advised to contact residential pest control experts. At Truly Nolen, we’ve been exterminating pests since 1938. We offer a unique, year-round solution to your pest control problem and use the most advanced techniques to guarantee complete removal.