Acorns and Asian Stinkbugs

What a follow-up to our doozey of a summer. We are having a heavy acorn crop this year. Below is a photo of the driveway I raked a few days ago, so this is just part of the accumulation we have been "blessed" with so far. Last year was an extremely light acorn crop....so much for being an indicator of the severity of the upcoming winter. This covering of acorns is fairly uniform over our entire lawn, gardens, walks and drive, and except for the driveway, has to be mostly hand collected o n e - a c o r n - a t - a - t i m e. No point in starting the clean-up until they have all fallen, so October will be a month of achy lower backs.

This message was edited Sep 23, 2010 8:17 PM

While we are waiting for the acorns to finish falling, we have the invasion of the Asian Stinkbugs to keep us occupied. Last year was the first time they were a problem here, and this year they have returned with a vengeance. At any one time there are probably thousands of them somewhere on the exterior of our house. They cover the exterior walls, the windows, doors, roof, deck and the plants thereon. We are constantly removing individuals that have managed to invade the house. Outside, we don’t want to use any pesticides because the numerous toads we have around or house are getting really big and fat on this windfall diet. One especially rotund one that frequents our deck reminds me of “Jabba the Hutt” from Star Wars. Hundreds were dispatched with a fly swatter, but the bugs are juicy and leave a mess if hit very square, so we have gone to the technique of knocking them into a container of soapy water. The photo below of our front door was taken about an hour after it had been cleared. Its kind of like living in a horror film. How are the rest of you impacted this year, and how are you dealing with these invaders?

My stinkbigs re not qutie that thick. Yesterday I started tapping them into a jar of alcohol, I dunno, I just figured I'd put them to sleep. I shoulda done soapy water. But they fly readily so one tap catches one and dislodges three. and they do stink.

Nasty, you may want to consider spraying just the perimeter of your house, esp around the doorways, not going to bother the frogs much

Nasty stink bugs. Last year we had a ton of them, this year not quite so many but still alot and I find them everywhere. I especially have to be careful of bringing in trays, stacked pots and things from the garage. I grabbed a small ceramic pot fromt he garage the other day and carried it in and set it in the sink not really looking at it and when I went back to wash it there were at least 5 of them crawling around my sink. YUCK! I have heard that they smell where they have been before and that is why they go back to overwinter in the same spots. There is something you can spray to mask the old scent but I don't know much about it.

DH just brought home some natural ant killer. It reeks of menthol, cinnamon--like bengay. But when you spray it on ants they curl up and die. I am not sure I could stand it sprayed all around my bedroom windows though. I mean REEKS

Even outside, Sally?

I have noticed several of them on my Datura pods and on my 4 O'Clocks. Here and there in general.
I don't DARE squish them.....Need to spray all around my doors and sills....On my To-Do list! ASAP!
They are even talking on the radio about all this invasion.....Geez! We are attacked from the South!

Bed Bugs are the next topic.....they seem to be prevalent this year as well.
You cannot believe the amount of people at HD looking for sprays for bed Bugs!!!! What gives????
Has everyone become a slob???? Have they housed a homeless person in their guest bedroom???
Says to check/disinfect your suitcases if you have been on a trip!

The sales of mouse traps, baits, and deterrents is also high. I guess these little critters are looking
for winter quarters by now. Make sure you caulk over any small spaces around your pipes and
siding and vents. A mouse only needs a 1/2" space to get in. Like your little finger!

Stuff steel wool all around the plumbing fixtures and pipes where they come into your kitchen.
Look under your sink where it connects to the Dishwasher and also where the gas-pipe comes up from the basement behind your stove.
The first place I ever found (and caught) mice was under the lift-up cover of the gas burners on my stove.
The newer stoves no longer have this lift-up top. I still do! BUT--We all still have the coming through
the walls and up from the basements to supply the gas and electricity to all our appliances.

Then--I noticed--in my Laundry room that my yellow bar of soap (Phels Naphta???) had been chewed on.
Teeth marks on the corner--for sure. It IS made from fat.....so the "meeces" were chewing on it tp peaces...
Put a trap nearby--and caught one.

Gotta be creative and alert with all this....takes some vigilance!

Gita

According to this Washington Post article, there may be some better methods of dealing with them in a couple of years. Apparently they won't hurt your house but are damaging fruit orchards and some other crops. Also according to the article, if they get in the house, best bet is vacuuming them up and disposing of the bag although they may make the vacuum smell. It says outside pesticides aren't recommended and aren't effective.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/24/AR2010092403357.html

I wonder if they ate the ladybugs? I haven't seen any asian ladybugs this year. Usually we get swarms of them trying to get in the house in the fall.

IDK about the outside pesticides because I only see 1 or 2 around my house( I have quarterly bug maintenance) my neighbor has a ton(he doesn't treat for bugs)

As told in my posts starting this thread, our property is inundated with Asian stinkbugs this year. Yesterday we visited at my sister's in the Shenandoah Valley. I did not observe any stinkbugs in the area when I arrived. However, each time I got out of my car they would drop off from around the door seals, from under the undercarriage, and fly out of the trunk if I opened it. I felt horrible, like I was "Typhoid Mary", spreading pestilence wherever I went.

Oh no, I think your sister is not going to be pleased

GT, LOL We headed for Fl a few days ago and I found some in the car and I was thinking bad enough that we have them at home now I'm spreading them all around Fl.,too. LOL

GT, I'm in the exact same situation as you, but then we are only about five miles apart LOL. So many acorns and so many stinkbugs this fall. I don't mind the acorns - I've just been using the leaf blower on the walks and driveway, but pretty much decided now to leave it go until they are done falling. But, I absolutely HATE those darned stinkbugs. I have routine extermination service, but it is not effective - all reports indicate that they haven't come up with anything that will really work yet. There are literally thousands on the exterior of the house, and I routinely suck up hundrends a day that get in the house. They make a mad dash whenever I open the doors to let the dogs in and out, or come and go myself. YUCK.

jen, No it would be tolerable around windows outside, if you won't be opening them . I don't know it would be effective here though .
I just don't feel it is worth me spraying contact killer on the few dozen I can catch around my door here and there, when there are hundreds elsewhere. Maybe as jen suggested, professional treatments that are meant to keep out ants and bugs long term would have residual effect as the stink bugs try to come in the cracks.


Typhoid Marmorated--Think of the hundreds of times that scenario was already taking place across the area.

hart, I had a nice bug batch of ladybugs on my asparagus. And I thougth these stinkbugs only fed on plant material.

Geez!!!!

I see some Stinkbugs outside--mostly on Datura seed pods.
Have not noticed any major invasion on my other plants, doors or windows....So far--so good!
Maybe--I am just lucky!!!!

I keep reading all about these--and bedbugs as well--and am just hoping that i will not find any in my house....
After all--I do not go anywhere--do not stay in any Motels---Do not travel--
My windows and doors are fairly tight---Maybe i will get by w/o any of these in my house.

Is it really true that NO kind of an Insect Spray will kill these stinkers???? I don't dare squish them!
Someone told me that IF you squish them--others will be attracted to the smell--
as if to come and rescue their comrades....

I DO feel bad for all the Farmers here. Their crops are being decimated by Stink Bugs...
They seem to stick their proboscis into apples and other fruits to suck out the juices---
leaving pitted scars in the fruit. There was a picture of this in our Newspaper....

David--I would feel SOOOOOOOOO bad--if I were you----How can you sleep at night????
Introducing these Bugs in a previously unaffected area!!!! I would really feel like "Typhoid Mary".....

I hope this too shall pass...... Gita

Today someone told me that spraying peppermint extract on and around one's door will keep the stinkers away. I will definitely have to give it a try, but this cool, rainy weather has produced a lull in the invasion, so I'll test it when it is sunny and warm again.

Gita, had I realized what a vector of infestation my car would prove to be I would have first parked it in the garage for about an hour with the motor running.

Not only are the stink bugs invading the house, but now they got my SUV. It died yesterday as I was heading out on errands, like it was not getting gas. Greenthumb helped me move it further off the road when he got home. After it was towed to town for repairs this morning, they called to say it was a stink bug in the air filter causing the problem. That was one expensive stink bug. They suggested I park somewhere else!

mmmmmmm
One stink bug in the air filter for an SUV?
Good to hear from you tho, ecnalg, but sorry it had to be along with major car trouble!!! Maybe you can put some kind of light screening over the air intake and keep them out of the line. Boy, if this is true then a lot of us are in danger of the same thing!

How much did they charge you to find out a stink bug caused it?

Maybe they only found ONE bug but there could have been a cluster of them in there. Like how ladybugs cluster together

One worked its way past the air cleaner and got on the device that senses barometric pressure, air flow and/or whatnot and shut down the fuel system.

Oh my goodness!!!

Normally it is $96 for diagnosing the problem, then more to fix it. Since it was just in there last week to pass the emissions inspection, he only charged a little bit more to fix the problem and change the filter. Of course, there was another $95 to tow it. What fun.

As David mentioned, they are all over the house, and drop inside as you open the door. Have to carefully inspect all the clothes we hang out to dry. At least they don't sting, but I think they are responsible for the damage to our peppers, which came from the swap.

For crying out loud!! Expensive damm bugs

I am seeing more of them this year also, but not as bad as some of you. Will they die off or disappear soon due to colder weather? Will the ones that get in live longer and multiply indoors?

I think I'm going to try to do my own stinkbug killing experiment. Capture one and try a bunch of things to see what works at either killing them or chasing them away.

I'm pleased to say I do not have a problem with stink bugs ..... only thing I can think of is it must be because of toads ... I did see a few toads a few times when watering in Aug.

http://www.essortment.com/all/toads_pbf.htm

MARY

Roses_R_Red, the ones that can't find some place to overwinter will die off when the weather gets cold. The ones that get inside will hide in places like corners of the garage, behind bookcases and the books themselves and will not be seen until spring when they will emerge and try to find their way outside again. Since most homes do not have a lot of vegetation inside, they have to wait until they are outside to multiply.

Mary, toads are one of the few critters that supposedly do not mind the flavor/fragrance of the stink bugs and readily eat them. I know our toads are packing them away, but we would need a plague of toads to consume our plague-and-a-half of stinkbugs. Last year was the first year we really saw any of these dreadful bugs, and this year they are several times worse. Unfortunately, we all probably have even more to look forward to next fall.

flowAjen----

One thing you can try is to walk around with a can of hair spray--the better the "hold"--
the better it should work. Spray a bunch--and It should give them a "pause"....:o)
Or--Lemon Joy dish detergent (diluted in water0....It seems to work on a lot of insects....

I have only seen a few of these in my garden--mostly on my 4's and my Datura's
seed pods. Maybe they are just waiting to see them crack open--
and then in they will go--along with the earwigs....and ants....

I've been checking the seed pods every other day. They are now starting to pop....

Purple/white Datura.pods....not yet "ripe'...Each will have close to 100 seeds in there....

Gita, That is a different idea.
When I find them in the house I pick them up with toliet paper so as not to crush them and then flush them. LOL

That's what I do Holly if one ends up getting in

I have heard one buzzing by inside my house , about three days in a row.

UGH! And then you worry they'll drop on your face during the night.... ;-(

Hi y'all.
I was told there was a stink bug thread started over here and was glad to see the mention of acorns, too. I see I wasn't the only one with wacky weather, nuts, and bugs this year! I live under an old pin oak grove, so I not only have a massive load of acorns this fall, but they are enormous, and difficult to walk on! The nuts fell from the tall trees with such velocity that they shot through, and made big holes in, the leaves of plants and embedded in the stems of a few water hyacinths. I'm not sure how to go about clearing them away either. I wanted to gather and dump them in the woods for the deer and other wildlife, but I don't know if it's possible without tearing them up.

I noticed the brown marmorated stink bugs for the first time this summer, but don't have the invasion I keep hearing about. I'm researching to find out more about the bugs and hope to submit an article to DG on my findings. Please let me know if I may quote some of your comments within the article, like the problems they've caused you, what you have tried to repel them, etc. I am sure others would appreciate knowing, too!

Bev

This message was edited Oct 2, 2010 1:21 AM

Sundownr - You are welcome to quote anything I say about the stinkbugs, but much of what I say in private is unquoteable. Back when it was warm and I started this thread I had left a pair of old work shoes on the deck by the front oddr. The next afternoon when I went to don them to do some yard work I evicted over three (3) dozen out of each shoe! I'm not particularly squimish, but YUUUCK!!

I visited with vendors at the Leesburg (VA) farmer's market Saturday, and they told horror stories of damage by these dreadful creatures. Some farmers have had such an infestation in their field corn that their crop is tainted with the smell and taste and their cows refuse to eat it and they have to destroy it. I was told that Butler's Orchard in Montgomery County, MD has had a million dollars in losses this year from the stinkbugs. If that is true, then we better get a handle on this problem or our agricultural economy is really going to suffer and our food supply put in jepoardy.

greenthumb99, Thank you for your permission to quote. I would not have thought of some of the things you mentioned concerning the nuisance the stink bugs have made of themselves on your property! I know first hand of the damage the bugs can do to a vegetable harvest even in a small garden, and hate to consider the devastation they could cause a market grower!

Thanks again,
Bev

Ok did a small experiment today with 2 stinkbugs and 2 covered cups...one with cinnamon...didn't even phase him/her but the peppermint extract almost killed him/her instantly...now to test if I can just spray around the doors/window and they will stay away or some peppermint sprigs or peppermint extract on cottonballs...???? I'll let ya know

Ooooh I love experiments!

FWIW, The stinkers do bite!
They are attracted to the color Yellow

So, another experiment would be to crush a number of collected bugs on something yellow like those glue traps they sell for catching rodents, put it inside a cardboard box and hang a lite inside.. Or hang several of those fly strips by my back door light which is yellow.

Last fall was the first time I saw them around here. I initially thot they were attracted to the paint smell as I was painting the outside of my house. Almost like clock work, they would come flying over to the house each afternoon between 3 and 4 pm for almost two weeks while weather was still warm during the day. As the temps cooled, I would find them bunched together under and in everything. If you have window air conditioners I would strongly suggest taking them out of windows as these guys loved mine and gained inside access through them..

Am also working on a long attachment to an old vacuum cleaner to suck them off the eaves etc of my house cause a ladder is just too much. A lond bamboo fishing pole can knock them off and they may land lower down.

I would gladly rub mint all over my house if that would repel them, but they seem to enjoy my mint plants...

Some people, like me are allergic to the smell..current symptoms for me are headache, runny nose.

Nothing I,ve tried will get the stink off of hands, floors, shoes , ect from their emissions.

They are quite alert and cleaver in evading capture. One female lays 400+ eggs.

Well we are home now and on the way home we stopped at the Va Arboretum Fall Plant Sale. Had a nice visit with RCN as she was there selling plants. Really had to laugh as Stinkbugs was what everyone was talking about and we have all gotten so use to them that as they land on us on our clothes or in our hair we just brush them off. They are such a common nuisance that no one even stops what they were doing as they are pulling them from their hair or brushing them off.