RADIO TRANSCRIPT
November 6, 2023
Taylor Campbell

This is Taylor Campbell, horticulture extension agent with North Carolina Cooperative Extension - Burke Center. Today’s program is on controlling stink bugs in the home. Brown marmorated stink bugs are a member of the family Hemiptera and are a common pest of fruits, vegetables, and this time of year, the home. Stink bugs get their name from the scent glands that excrete a foul scent when disturbed. Stink bugs become a nuisance this time of year when they seek out warm areas to spend the cold months. Stink bugs can come indoors through cracks as small as one sixteenth of an inch. The best method of controlling stink bugs is to prevent their entry into the home by caulking around windows and door frames. Using insecticides on the outside of your home as well works best, especially on south and west-facing walls. Insecticides used alone only provide limited control. The best methods of control once stink bugs have entered the home are to vacuum them up or knock them into a bucket of soapy water. Be sure to empty the vacuum into soapy water because if they are released outside, they will just get back into the home. But beware, your vacuum may smell like stink bugs afterward, so using an older one for this purpose is advised. Although stink bugs are a nuisance inside buildings, they do not cause any significant structural or cosmetic damage and will not reproduce inside the home.

This has been Taylor Campbell, horticulture extension agent with North Carolina Cooperative Extension Burke Center. For more information, call us at 764-9480.