Stink bugs

[Rob711]

Not sure if this is correct spot so mods move.
I’m seeing stink bugs on window screens at my house, I’ve lived on Long Island my entire life, 42 years, never have I seen them at homed. Probably 5 years ago I’d see them in institutions, ie schools, hospitals. What’s changed, environment? I also can’t find many healthy oaks around. I live near a very wooded area. Most big oaks are dropping limbs or there tops broken off, no healthy young ones. I’m assuming overpopulation and pollution have killed the land! Where do these stink bugs come from?

 

[begreen]

Could be BMSBs. They are becoming a serious issue for orchardists.

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[PaulOinMA]

Just going to post that we haven't had a stinkbug in the house yet this fall … and there's one in the hallway.

 

[paulnlee]

I'm looking at least 20 on the screen slider. From China(where else). Been around here for years. They find the damnest places to hide and you'll find them in the spring. Fuzz buster them and into the Harmon

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I don't think they are hurting your oaks much.

Are they producing acorns?

 

[fbelec]

we have stink bugs up the stinker here in mass. don't know what this means but the oaks around here are dropping smaller sized acorns and not as much as last few years. i haven't heard one hit the truck while driving and some years it sounds like someone is shooting at me

 

[blades]

Acrons aren't too bad but those Walnuts at 45mph will take a window out.

 

[Ashful]

Lots of stink bugs here, in the last week or two. Must be the weather, they were on decline the last few years.

I’d trade the giant African hornets that have been plaguing me the last two years (they feast on our newly invasive spotted lantern fly) for more stink bugs any day. No one has ever been afraid of a stink bug, but a hornet the size of your thumb, with a stinger the size of a 6 penny nail is no fun.

 

[begreen]

I got stung by a small yellow jacket that followed me after discovering they had a nest under a palette in the woodshed. I had walked quite away from the next when it stung me in the chest through my shirt. It felt like I had been struck by a taser. Took my breath away and stopped me in my tracks. That surprised me. I have been stung a lot in my days, but nothing like this. Little wasps can pack more wallop than some big ones.

Now I have to figure out how to get them out. This is the hardwood side of the woodshed. It won't be a problem during the winter, but I stacked my leftover fir there from last spring so that I could reload the other side with fir. The intent was to burn this first.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Ah, a well placed super cedar and you could still light it up first!

 

[Ashful]

I got stung by a small yellow jacket that followed me after discovering they had a nest under a palette in the woodshed. I had walked quite away from the next when it stung me in the chest through my shirt. It felt like I had been struck by a taser. Took my breath away and stopped me in my tracks. That surprised me. I have been stung a lot in my days, but nothing like this. Little wasps can pack more wallop than some big ones.

Now I have to figure out how to get them out. This is the hardwood side of the woodshed. It won't be a problem during the winter, but I stacked my leftover fir there from last spring so that I could reload the other side with fir. The intent was to burn this first.

Those little yellow jackets are hateful and vengeful little bastards. I have also had one follow me quite a distance and sting me in my shop after I walked by their nest nearly a hundred feet away. Whatever limb they sting usually swells up pretty badly, on me, and can hurt for weeks. I know several people who have been swarmed by them, not realizing they were standing or mowing over a nest, and had dozens of them get up into their clothes.

I've not been stung by one of these giant African hornets yet, they're not easily provoked to sting. But I've read that their sting feels like firing a framing nail gun into your leg, from someone who's apparently experienced both of these pains.

 

[Rob711]

Yikes! Ok I’ll stop complaining!

 

[Ashful]

I’m thinking we need to capture and train the stink bugs. Sell them to amazon.com as a new biological drone army to deliver their packages same day. Think of all we’d be doing for the environment!

 

[EatenByLimestone]

*imagining stink bug unions*

 

[fbelec]

just think of how bad it would smell

 

[fbelec]

had a bug come into the car today when picking up my son. it looked like it had a stinger so down it went picked it up and my son pick it up to get rid of it. so i started complaining to him to get out and check your shoes. it was the bug. it smells like dog poop

 

[PaulOinMA]

I walked in the den and saw something inside on the glass on the insert. Thought it might be a yellowjacket since I did a final vacuuming of the fireplace around the insert this week and there were two dead yellowjackets inside the insert.

Nope! It was stinkbug!

 

[Ashful]

Sitting at the driving range, waiting on one of my kid’s golf lesson, and saw this crawling next to me on the railing of the gazebo as I was clicking into this thread:

 

[Jan Pijpelink]

We had a few this year, but MUCH less than previous years. I guess because I changed after shave.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Just another unwelcome import from china.

 

[Jan Pijpelink]

Just another unwelcome import from china.

Made in the US.

 

[Ashful]

Made in the US.

I don’t think he was referring to your aftershave.

 

[PaulOinMA]

… I don’t think he was referring to your aftershave …

On aftershave, I just posted this in a car forum I'm on ...

I've posted the following on here before. I worked at Colgate in the 1990s. We bought Mennen. One of our attorneys was commenting about the lawsuits we inherited.

One guy came out of a shower and lit a cigarette. Had it in his mouth when he dumped Mennen Skin Bracer on his hands and smacked his palms to his face. Poof!

 

[semipro]

Those little yellow jackets are hateful and vengeful little bastards. I have also had one follow me quite a distance and sting me in my shop after I walked by their nest nearly a hundred feet away. Whatever limb they sting usually swells up pretty badly, on me, and can hurt for weeks. I know several people who have been swarmed by them, not realizing they were standing or mowing over a nest, and had dozens of them get up into their clothes.

I've not been stung by one of these giant African hornets yet, they're not easily provoked to sting. But I've read that their sting feels like firing a framing nail gun into your leg, from someone who's apparently experienced both of these pains.

You'd be surprised how effective applying vinegar (weak acid) to a sting site is. I've probably had 50+ stings over the last 10 years by yellow jackets mostly and I'm always amazed how well it works. Apparently, most insect venoms are basic (pH) and the application of vinegar quickly neutralizes the venom to some degree. I keep a pill container with cotton balls soaked with vinegar with me while working in risky places and its paid off many times. I press the cotton ball to the sting site and hold it there for about 5 minutes.

 

[semipro]

We probably have 100 or more BM stink bugs in our house right now.
Keeping them out is my 2nd most driving motivation for air sealing our house, energy efficiency being the 1st... but not by much.