Good-bye, mosquitoes.  Hello, stink bugs!

Have you ever noticed that by the time mosquitoes go away for the year, other pests come calling?  Enter, the marmorated stink bug.  And stink, they do.  Not only that, but they come in droves.  They are larger than mosquitoes and ticks, our fair weather pests, and they enter our homes like little bug armies.

Where have stink bugs been all summer?

Interestingly enough, stink bugs have been around all summer.  You have not encountered them, because they are off living their best lives.  They love the warm sunshine of summer and they thrive in it.  What else thrives on summer sun?  Well fruit trees, gardens, and the like.  Those are some of the things that stink bugs feed on.  So, hanging out in the warm sunshine, where food is plentiful, is just the thing for these hungry pests in the summer.  But come fall…

Stink bugs are coming close to your house and inside your house, in search of warmth.

It is not likely that stink bugs will infiltrate and remain inside your home, but you cold certainly experience an infestation of in your basement, crawl space, attic, or inside your walls.  Out in nature, they will overwinter in leaf debris, hollow logs, or other areas, where they will be insulated from the cold.

Also read: Are mosquitoes worse in the fall?

How do stink bugs survive winter?

If they love sunshine and vegetable gardens, who do stink bugs make it through cold winters?  These critters don’t require food in the winter, so they can make it even when their favorite foods are out of season.  They survive by entering a hibernation-like state, known as diapause.  When in this overwintering state, they will not require food at all.  But look out, they will be coming back around in the spring, cold and hungry!