I’ve Got the Stinkbug Plague

My father in law has been complaining about the annoying stinkbug invasion and how he is constantly flushing the flying nickel-sized critters. Me too. I just flushed three of them in the past hour. Then I see this article that they all seem to be coming from New Jersey. Figures, right?

From NJ here:

First discovered in Allentown, Pa., in 1996, the nickle-sized bugs have invaded New Jersey and spread across the Eastern seaboard, annoying homeowners and creating havoc for farmers. With no natural enemies, they are increasing in numbers and no formal defense has been found to combat them.About two centimeters long with blue metallic spots and white antennae, the stink bugs seek shelter indoors in the fall. Dormant in winter, they become a nuisance in the spring. They are slow moving and noisy in flight, get caught in lamp shades and blinds and they flutter around ceilings, all in an effort to get outside.

Homeowners have learned the hard way how to handle them. Blunt force is not recommended, since crushing the bugs’ abdominal scent glands causes the stink. A better defense is to plug in the vacuum.

My cats know not to mess with them, but they usually disable them to leave them crippled on the ground until my kid points them out with the alarmed cry of “BUG!” At first it was once a week then a few times. Now its a few times per day. I’m just glad to hear that they are harmless- I was dreadfully afraid they would eat comic books or DVD’s.