Stinky bugs, stinky bugs…in my bathtub
October 11, 2010
St. Charles County, MO
By Kris Kolk
In our upstairs bathroom, I thought I trapped two wasps. I didn’t stick around long enough to investigate--just shut the door and reported the sighting. Turns out, they weren’t wasps at all but stinkbugs.
“This is new,” I thought.
We have been getting accustomed to seasonal ladybug guests, sometimes covering the back of the house almost completely. But stinkbugs? They’re not even cute. Or ladylike.
After a bit of research, I learned stinkbugs are a relatively new problem around here. They love to suck the juices from soybean crops and also wreak havoc on apple trees.
I thought the bugs might die off during the winter, but after more digging learned the stinkers lay low, such as under piles of leaves, and are very much waiting for springtime. Pesticide sprays are known to miss, because these pests are so good at hiding.
So, what should a homemaker do? Rule number one is Do Not Smash Stinkbugs. That’s how they become stinky. Some remedies have included flushing them down the toilet and sucking them up in the vacuum cleaner (throw the vacuum cleaner back away). Rule number two is to make sure there are no openings in screens where the buggers can easily enter a home.
What do stinkbugs smell like? I’ve read they can smell like skunk or even cilantro. Their scent is dependent on the interpretation of the one smelling them.
Smells like one more inconvenience to me.
Copyright 2010 Neighbors About Town
