A Stink Bugs Guide For Montgomery, Chester & Delaware Counties

What are stink bugs?

Stink bugs are invasive insects, and are known as significant agricultural pests. Stink bugs were introduced into eastern Pennsylvania from east Asia in 1998. Since their introduction, they have spread throughout eastern and western North America.

Stink bugs have an easily recognizable appearance due to a triangular shaped plate found on their backs. The plate on their back is also responsible for their nickname of “shield bug”. Stink bugs are a mottled, gray-brown color, and they have patches of copper or blue-metallic coloring on their heads. Adults grow to about ¾ of an inch in length, and their bodies are as wide as they are long. Stink bugs have a gland on their thorax which allows them to release a foul-smelling odor as a means of defense.

Are stink bugs dangerous?

Stink bugs are not a danger to people - they do not bite or sting, and they aren’t known to cause any health problems. However, stink bugs are major agricultural pests and have the ability to cause serious damage to fruits, vegetables, and other crops. Inside homes, stink bugs don’t cause any structural damage, but they can become a nuisance, cause damage to houseplants, and fill your home with an unpleasant odor.

Why do I have a stink bug problem?

During the spring, summer, and early fall stink bugs live outside, feeding on plants, trees, and crops. In late fall, when the weather cools, stinks bugs (in large numbers) will congregate on the warm, sunny sides of homes and other buildings. As they crawl up and around the exterior of a home, they find their way inside through cracks in its siding and foundation, spaces around windows and doors, through vents, and through holes along the roofline. Once inside your home, they will travel through it - over floors, walls, furniture, and curtains -  in order to find a safe spot to overwinter. With the arrival of spring, stink bugs move back outside to begin feeding and breeding once again.

Where will I find stink bugs?

Outside, stink bugs live in orchards, farms and gardens, parks, and residential properties. When stink bugs find their way inside homes to overwinter, they choose dark, dry, secluded places, such as:

• Attics
• Walls voids
• Underneath floors
• Crawl spaces 

How do I get rid of stink bugs?

The easiest way to prevent problems with stink bugs is to partner with a professional pest control company. At M.A.D. Exterminators, Inc., we offer the responsive residential and commercial pest control services in Pennsylvania needed to stop stink bugs from living and nesting in and around homes.

Our experienced and highly trained technicians perform thorough inspections, and provide modern treatments. They will eliminate current pest problems and prevent future problems with stink bugs and other common household invaders. To learn more about eliminating stink bugs from your Montgomery, Bucks, Chester, Berks, Philadelphia, or Delaware County home, call M.A.D. Exterminators, Inc.!