Stinkbug – Gathering on House

Q: Can you talk about stinkbugs? They seem to have a hankerin’ for the south side of our house.

A: The brown marmorated stinkbug (BMSB) has been busily invading Georgia for the last few years, feasting on peaches, plums and apples. Unlike native stinkbugs, the BMSB loves to gather on warm house siding and wander about. Many will be found indoors if you have cracks through which they can crawl.

Gardeners in the Midwest and Northeast report thousands of them clustering on walls. Most garden insecticides will kill them outdoors. Indoors, sweep them up and kill them outside. Don’t use a vacuum unless you want to enjoy the bugs’ stink for several weeks. I have pictures of this pest at bit.ly/GAstinkbug.