Stink Bugs

Stink bugs may look menacing, but they will not harm people and nor do they bite. Stink bugs are harmless and do not damage your property, but they do enter homes when the weather begins to cool, seeking heat and warmth to survive over winter.

Call Ehrlich Pest Control at for more information on how to get rid of stink bugs in your home or schedule a FREE pest inspection.

Stink Bugs: How To Protect Your Home From These Pests

The brown marmorated stink bug originally from Asia, is now present in at least 33 states and as far west as Oregon and California. It is a serious agricultural pest and because they need to move indoors in winter, is also becoming a major nuisance pest to homeowners and business owners.

Stink bugs gather in large numbers on the sides of houses and buildings in the late fall and enter structures to find a place to overwinter (hibernate).

Once inside your home, stink bugs will seek out warm areas and will hide in insulated walls, light fittings and under floorboards. When the temperatures drop in early winter, stink bugs go into a state of hibernation. 

They will not reproduce during this time and there is no risk of the stink bugs multiplying. However, warm winter days or heating may trigger stink bug activity indoors, so you may see some of these bugs around your home in winter and they might emit a foul odor when they feel threatened or are crushed.

As a home owner you can do a number of things to prevent stink bugs. We recommend you make the following checks and repairs to your property in late Spring / Summer prior to the Fall and the start of over wintering behavior.

Stink bugs can work their way into our homes through various entry points (cracks and crevices) including:

• under siding
• around door and window frames
• utility pipes
• chimneys
• attic vents
• under fascia

Stink bug invasions can be prevented by inspecting and repairing the following common points of entry:

• seal holes in exterior walls larger than the diameter of a pencil
• seal gaps and cracks around door and window frames
• install door sweeps
• ensure doors and windows are tight-fitting
• screen exterior attic openings / vents
• seal entry points with caulk or good quality silicone sealant (including around chimneys)
• create a barrier around your home to try to keep stink bugs outside
• reduce the number of stink bugs on your property

If you do find stink bugs in your home, you can:

• Remove both live and dead stink bugs with a vacuum cleaner - the vacuum may smell like stink bugs for a period of time.
• Sweep the stink bugs up using a broom and dust pan and discard them in an outdoor trash receptacle.
• Contact Ehrlich for a free pest inspection.

Get Rid of Stink Bugs in Your Home Professionally

At Ehrlich, we’ve been helping and advising people on how to get rid of stink bugs on their property since they were first identified in Allentown, PA in 2001, and we can offer practical advice on how to get rid of stink bugs from your home.

Although there are many stink bug traps and insecticides on the market, these only capture the bugs and don’t help to prevent them from entering your home.

Stink bug control solutions from Ehrlich include:

• Fall Insecticide Treatment – Licensed technicians will treat the outside of your home, which will aim to reduce the stink bug population on your property. Two treatments are carried out in the Fall and applied to external areas of your property, including behind shutters, along foundation, eaves and exterior lighting.
• Integrated Pest Management (IPM) – this method focuses on exclusion methods first. We will identify stink bug entry points around your home and work with you to address them.
• Year Round Protection Plan - Regularly scheduled preventive services and inspections with reports a minimum of every four months.