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MARCH 04 2022 /
Fall is coming. It is unavoidable. There is something else that comes in fall that seems unavoidable, but actually isn't.
Fall is when you'll start finding shield bugs crawling around inside your house.
The shield bug, also known as the brown marmorated stink bug, is a brown, speckled, shield-shaped bug the produces an unpleasant chemical odor when you step on it, but if you live in our coverage area of Maryland and Northern Virginia, we don't need to tell you this. You already know.
This pest has been plaguing us for years. You don't need a long dissertation on the entomology of this smelly creature or a detailed history of its journey from Asia to America.
You just want to know how to keep them out of your house. We get it.
Stink bugs crawl on trees and crawl under bark, so it only makes sense that these little bugs are going to want to crawl around on your exterior walls.
⭐ Make sure your screens are in good working order. If you have a hole, tear, or rip, these bugs will exploit them. Look into having damaged screens replaced or patched up.
⭐ Examine around your screens and see if you have any gaps. It doesn't take much of a hole to allow these bugs in.
⭐ Weather stripping is an important deterrent for stink bugs. When you close your screen door, make sure it is sealing properly. If those bristles are damaged, stink bugs will slip right through. Remember that these bugs crawl across vertical surfaces. When they come to your weather stripping, they are at the perfect angle to slide right in.
⭐ Though it can be a pain, make sure you close your screen door when you close your sliding glass door. This bug can ride its way past your defenses when you slide your door. Take a look for yourself. Put a piece of scotch tape on the outside glass of your sliding door and slide it open. You'll quickly see how these bugs get in.
⭐ If your door sweeps aren't making a good seal, stink bugs will slip under.
⭐ Stink bugs use gable vents and other openings, so make sure these are covered with screens too.
⭐ If you have a chimney, consider getting a damper that mounts on top of it, so that stink bugs don't fly down, where they can get in when you open the damper above your fire pit.
⭐ Search for any other holes you can find and fill those holes in.
If you try these exclusion methods and you are still getting stink bugs, it may be time to think about getting a treatment for your exterior walls from American Pest.
Not only will this keep stink bugs from exploiting the entry points you've missed, it will also keep them from congregating on your walls and becoming an eyesore this fall.
Stink bugs are here to stay. But you don't have to live with them. Get your walls sealed before the fall invasion begins. A shield bug free fall starts with a call to American Pest.
