Fall brings with it a change in leaves, a crispness to the air and stink bugs. While most of what fall has to offer is great, stink bugs are something that you want to keep away from your home as much as possible. These bugs enter your home at this time of the year in search of heat and they quickly become a nuisance. Fortunately, there are a number of ways that you can keep these insects at bay and ensure they do not get into your home.
Seal Off The Entry Points
The first step in stink bug control will be to look for their points of entry into your home. When you seal off the points of entry, you will limit the chances of them getting into your home. The best place to start will be to inspect the outside of your home and look for easy entry points.
The easy entry points that you are looking for will be areas around the siding of your home and the utility pipes. You should also look for any cracks and holes underneath wood fascia. These points of entry will need to be sealed using silicone-latex caulk or good quality silicone caulk.
A lot of people do not realize that stink bugs have the ability to enter your home through the smallest of opening. This is why the next step in sealing off entry points will be to look at the screens on your windows and doors. If you notice any damage, you need to replace the screen as soon as possible. You should also look for weather-stripping and loose mortar around the windows and doors. If you have a lot of problems with stink bugs in your home, you should look at installing a door sweep. This will help to stop the bugs from making their way into your home.
Sprinkle Diatomaceous Earth
If you are looking for a way to get rid of the stink bugs completely and not just stop them from entering your home. According to Discover Ziehler in Ohio, you should sprinkle some Diatomaceous Earth inside and outside your home. You should focus this on the areas where the stink bugs seem to gather or would enter your home. Diatomaceous Earth is a sedimentary rock and a natural pesticide.
The powder of the rock will break down the protective layer of the exoskeleton and cause the bugs to dehydrate. The powder can also stop a number of other insects from getting to your home. Ideally, you should look for Diatomaceous Earth which has not been heat-treated as it will lose effectiveness when this is done.
Use Natural Repellents
Strangely, stink bugs are not actually fans of potent odors which means that you can easily make a natural repellent using certain ingredients. This is ideal if you do not want to actually harm the stink bugs but want them to stay away from your home. Of course, it is important to note that natural repellents will not always work and you might have to try a few before you find one that keeps all stink bugs at bay.
The first you should try is a garlic spray. This will be made with 500ml of water and 4 teaspoons of garlic powder which need to be mixed in a spray bottle. You should spray the solution onto plant leaves, entry points and other areas where you have seen the insects. The odor of the garlic will repel the stink bugs which should keep them out of your home.
If you want to avoid garlic, you can also try mint. You should mix 500ml of water with 10 drops of mint oil. This should be sprayed in the same areas as the garlic mixture and should keep the stink bugs away. If you do not have mint oil, you can also use 2 teaspoons of ground mint leaves.
Turn Off The Lights
As with most insects, stink bugs are attracted to lights. If you want to keep the stink bugs away from your home, you should keep your outdoor lighting to a minimum. While this might stop you from enjoying warmer evenings outside, you will reduce your bug issue.
When evening comes, you should turn off the porch and other outside lights. These lights will attract the bugs and they will start to look for ways into your home. You should also close the window blinds or curtains to ensure that light is not spilling out into the night and attracting the insects.
Reduce The Moisture
There are a lot of bugs that are attracted to moisture which means that you need to keep the moisture sites to a minimum. Stink bugs are no different and they will be attracted to the moisture. The sites that you need to look out for will include leaking pipes and clogged drain.
Of course, you can use the attraction to moisture to your advantage when it comes to keeping stink bugs at bay. You can hang a damp towel or cloth in your yard at dusk to collect the stink bugs on it. In the morning, you can get rid of the bugs permanently by dumping the towel, with the bugs, into a large bucket of soapy water.
The soap in the water will make it harder for the bugs to move and they will ultimately drown. This is the closest extermination method to being stink free which makes it ideal for many people.
Control Your Weeds
Stink bugs are usually attracted to weeds in your garden. When you have the weeds under control, you will be able to control the number of stink bugs that are looking to enter your home. When there are fewer stink bugs around, you will not have to take as many steps to stop them.
There are many different ways that you can keep stink bugs away from your home. Of course, you will need to determine if you want to exterminate them or not before you start using any of these methods.
