Understanding Stink Bugs On Your Roanoke Property​

Fall is here, and hopefully, you are enjoying the cooler, less-humid air. It is enjoyable to stroll through the yard or hike trails during this colorful time of the year in Roanoke when the leaves turn from green to beautiful shades of red and yellow. While you've been outside, walking and relaxing on your property, you may have noticed brown triangular stink bugs on the sunny side of your house. 

To stop stink bugs from infesting your home, you need the Roanoke pest control experts from Star City Pest Control & Wildlife. We have over 30 years of pest control experience; we know how to eliminate stink bugs from homes. 

Characteristics Of The Stink Bug

Stink bugs are newcomers to the United States, but since their discovery in the mid-1990s, they have rapidly spread throughout the area. There are over 200 stink bug species, but the most common in Roanoke is the brown marmorated stink bug.

Although there is a variety of stink bugs, in general, they are 3/4 to 1 inch long, have a triangular, shield-like body, possess a straight antenna with alternating colors, and have three pairs of legs. Most stink bugs are brown, but a stink bug can have a grey or dark green body. Stink glands are on the underside of the thorax, and when crushing the bug, or if it feels threatened, it will release an obnoxious odor from the glands. 

Why You Don't Want Stink Bugs Hanging Around Your Home

During the spring and summer, stink bugs in Roanoke feed on fruits, leaves, and stems dispersed around homes. As the temperatures drop, they gather and bask in the sun as it shines on the side of a house. It is not uncommon to see entire sides of a Roanoke home covered in stink bugs warming themselves in the fall sunshine.

Although stink bugs do not cause structural damage to your home or spread disease, you do not want them inside your house for one reason: they stink! The odor caused by a stink bug problem can be a nuisance and an embarrassment when guests visit. 

Factors That Attract Stink Bugs To Your Home

Warmth and shelter are reasons Roanoke homeowners experience a stink bug invasion in the fall. Initially, stink bugs gather on the side of a home to warm in the sun, but as the temperature decreases, they fly toward light emanating from the house. Stink bugs enter the home through cracks and gaps in the siding, window and doors, and the foundation. Holes in screens and outdoor electrical boxes also provide entrance opportunities. 

Once inside a Roanoke home, stink bugs hide in attics, basements, crawlspaces, inside of bookcases, behind baseboards, and under beds. Because light attracts them, homeowners occasionally see them on window curtains, screens, and lampshades. Once they have found shelter inside the home, stink bugs in the house in the winter enter into a dormant phase known as diapause. They stay in a dormant state until spring, at which point they exit the house and reproduce. 

The Best Way To Eliminate A Stink Bug Infestation

Star City Pest Control & Wildlife is your source for stink bug removal in Roanoke. During the free inspection, our licensed pest control professionals will identify gathering hot spots and entry points outside the home and examine the interior for signs of an infestation. We will develop a custom strategy using safe and effective treatments to stop stink bugs from entering the house. Contact us today, and we will use our decades of experience and tools to eliminate stink bugs around your Roanoke home.