The globular stink bug eats kudzu but it also invades homes in great numbers and smells bad if squashed. It's become widespread in Georgia and now Auburn University scientists have found it in eastern Alabama. They expect it to spread quickly across the state.
Ugly little thing, isn’t it?
We’re battling box elder bugs and Asian lady beetles at the moment. They came in last fall and I’ve been vacuuming the little buggers ever since. The Asian bugs stink and it’s worse if you squash them.
The box elder tree is coming down when the weather breaks. So are any others we may happen to find on our property. As well as the invasive olives the boneheads at the DNR planted.
We have stink bugs of a different variety that arrived in our area about 5 years ago.
Birds don’t eat them and their numbers just increase. Last year was awful. I had to sweep out the doorjamb of my car every time I went somewhere. I’m still finding them in my home months after their fall eruption.
Spritz around your windows with Listerine - it really helps. I haven’t seen one in a week. I dispose of them with a kleenex or a paper towel - I’ve never had any bad smell after killing them. They are really ugly, though!
The best way to get rid of them is some disposable surgical gloves and a large bucket of soapy water. Use liquid dish washing detergent; about a quarter cup to a 5 gallon bucket with about 3 gallons of water in it.
Gently pick up the bugs and drop them in the water. The soap closes their breathing pores, and they drown. The idea is to gently pick them, so they don’t let out too many stink phrenomes. They will a little, and it will stink a little, but that’s what the gloves are for.
I’m in Alabama, and I have a lot of stink bugs on my beans, squash and tomatoes. This is the best way to get rid of them, if you don’t want a whole lot of chemicals on the food you eat. Do this a couple of times in a week or so, and no problems with them for the rest of the season.