How to Get Rid of Stink Bugs Without Stinking up Your House (2024)

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When it comes to dealing with bugs around your home, few are welcome. If you have co*ckroaches at home, you’re susceptible to allergens and disease. If you have ants at home, you could be looking at costly damage to your home’s wood features. And if you need to get rid of stink bugs? That can, well, stink.

Stink bugs didn’t get their name for nothing: As a defense mechanism, these insects release an offensive odor from special glands when they’re disturbed. Unfortunately, kicking them out of your home counts as a disturbance to these bugs, so you might find that addressing a stink bug problem only creates gross results.

But it is possible to get rid of stink bugs without getting stuck with any parting favors. Here’s what entomologists and pest control experts say you should do if you need to get rid of stink bugs at home.

Where do stink bugs come from?

The most likely type of stink bug you’ll find in your home is the brown marmorated stink bug.

The brown marmorated stink bug is an insect that’s about a half-inch long with a shield-like shape and a mottled brown color.

Brown marmorated stink bugs were introduced to the United States from Asia in 2001. Because they don’t have any natural predators in this region, they’ve since been found in 41 out of 50 states and have widely overshadowed the native stink bugs in both nuisance and economic damage to gardens, farms, orchards, and landscapes, explains Dr. Tracy Ellis, an award-winning entomologist at FarmSense.

“This stink bug is very adaptable and can live and feed on a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, and ornamentals in gardens, farms, and landscapes,” she says. “The stink bug normally overwinters in leaf litter or tree bark and in other cracks and crevices, but can also seek shelter in your house.”

You’ll usually find stink bugs inside your home when the weather cools, as that’s when they try to seek warmth and shelter.

What attracts stink bugs to your house?

Ellis says that hordes of the invasive brown marmorated stink bug seek shelter on warm south-facing sides of homes and buildings in the fall because they are trying to get cozy. They do this by squeezing into cracks and crevices to get into the attic or wall to spend the winter. Then, they use pheromones to attract other stink bugs once they find a good location.

Are stink bugs harmful?

Stink bugs have special glands that will produce a stinky odor when they feel threatened or get crushed, says David Price, associate certified entomologist and director of technical services at Mosquito Joe, a Neighborly company.

Thankfully, Price says, stink bugs do not damage the home, but the odor — which is designed to repel predators — may cause an allergic reaction in humans.

That same secretion can also cause unpleasant gastrointestinal reactions if consumed by curious dogs or cats.

How to Get Rid of Stink Bugs

Price says tenants and homeowners should try these expert-backed strategies to help get rid of stink bugs in your home.

Do stink bug natural or home remedies work?

Jim McHale, chief executive officer and president of JP McHale Pest Management, says that mint oil emits an aroma that stink bugs hate, and might dissuade at least some bugs from settling into your home.

He recommends spraying the oil on plant leaves, in doorways, and on windowsills to repel stink bugs.

How to Get Rid of Stink Bugs in the Garden

You can reduce the numbers of stink bugs overwintering in your yard and garden by removing leaf litter, weeds, and other hiding places, Ellis says.

“Stink bug mobility using wings and six legs allows them to find and feed upon your favorite plants even if there is no overwintering at your location,” she explains. “If you are in a heavily infested neighborhood, you will need to inspect your plants for egg clusters and remove the stink bugs by hand.”

Once pollinated, Ellis recommends covering your vegetables with a row cover screening material as well as covering individual fruits with netting. Otherwise, you will have to accept (or get rid of) the disfigured and blemished fruits and veggies.

If stink bugs do get in the garden, then physical removal is the most eco-friendly control measure, Price says. You can also spray a stink bug directly with a soap spray. These methods along with adding row covers won’t have a negative effect on pets or plants.

How to Get Rid of Stink Bug Smell

Danielle Restuccia, division technical services manager at Orkin, says that stink bugs release a strong-smelling defensive chemical from scent glands whenever they feel threatened or are injured — much like how a skunk defends itself. The smell varies depending on the species and the person’s olfactory senses, but it has often been compared to strong herbs and spices like cilantro and coriander.

“This smell can linger for hours, so if possible, try to avoid crushing or being too rough with the stink bugs,” she says. “Carefully sweep or vacuum them up if they have entered your house, unless you want a face full of intense-smelling herbs and spices. Remember to empty the vacuum outside, but be aware — the smell may potentially linger in the vacuum for some time.”

If a stink bug odor has been released onto a hard surface, Restuccia recommends using a mixture of water, mild dish detergent, and white vinegar to minimize any lingering odor.

For washable soft items, a simple wash cycle in a washing machine should suffice.

How do you keep stink bugs from coming back?

McHale says homeowners should take the following steps to help prevent stink bugs from coming back:

Lastly, if the south wall of your house is repeatedly a seasonal draw, Ellis says you may also consider using cleaners sold for the exterior of homes and using a hose end sprayer to wash off any residual aggregation pheromone that might be drawing stink bugs back year after year.

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