How to Get Rid of Stink Bugs

The short answer

Seal the outside of your house in early fall before they look for a way in. Once they are inside, vacuum them up rather than crushing them. Skip the bug bombs and the residual sprays along baseboards. Neither prevents new ones from emerging, and both leave you with the same problem next week.

The species causing most US home invasions is the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB). It does not bite, it does not reproduce indoors, and it does not bore into wood, so this is not a structural pest. The EPA notes that in established areas BMSB can enter structures by the hundreds or thousands. The work that matters is sealing the building and removing the ones that slip through.

Why they show up at your house in the first place

Adults spend the warm months feeding on fruit, vegetables, and ornamental plants outdoors. As daylight shortens, they look for a protected, sheltered place to spend the winter. Penn State Extension puts that search window in September through October, and UC IPM describes it as late summer and early fall. Houses with heavy vegetation against the siding and dense plant cover near the foundation tend to draw the biggest fall gatherings; EPA notes that vegetation near the foundation can harbor large populations of stink bugs.

In spring, typically late April through mid-May in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic per Penn State Extension, the same bugs that overwintered in your wall voids wake up and crawl back out. Spring sightings are not a new infestation. They are last fall’s guests leaving.

Indoors they look for narrow, quiet hiding spots. EPA and UC IPM list the usual places: cracks under or behind baseboards, gaps around window and door trim, around exhaust fans or ceiling lights, bookcases, under beds and sofas, and in attics. UC IPM adds that they favor high and cool locations.

The exclusion work that actually pays off

Mechanical exclusion is the foundation. UC IPM, Penn State Extension, and EPA all put sealing the building ahead of any other tactic. Doing this in late summer, before the September-October flight, is what gives you the biggest payoff for the same labor.

Walk the outside with a tube of silicone or silicone-latex caulk and a roll of foam sealant. Hit the gaps that matter:

• Cracks around window and door frames, inside and out.
• Openings around utility pipes, conduit, vents, and dryer vents.
• Gaps under wood fascia and where siding meets trim.
• Openings where the chimney meets the roof.
• Edges around window air conditioner units, with screen material over the gap.
• Gable and attic vents, which can be screened from inside.
• Loose or damaged screens on doors and windows.

Then move to the doors. EPA and UC IPM both recommend weather stripping around the frame and a tight-fitting sweep or threshold at the bottom of any exterior door where daylight shows under the gap. Garage doors get the same treatment along the bottom seal.

In the basement or crawlspace, secure the access door, caulk around penetrations, and fill larger gaps around exposed plumbing pipes with steel wool before sealing over it. EPA includes capping or screening the chimney top on this list for the same reason.

Clear the foundation perimeter. Rake leaf litter and debris away from the siding, move stacked firewood, lumber, and dense vegetation back a few feet, and trim back vines or shrubs touching the wall. You are removing the harborage where BMSB gather in the days before they climb.

What to do once they are already inside

Do not reach for the fly swatter. Penn State Extension and EPA flag the odor issue directly: BMSB release a defensive scent when disturbed or crushed, and that odor transfers to your hands, the wall, and anything you wipe it on. Penn State adds that BMSB crushed against exposed skin can produce dermatitis at the point of contact, and EPA notes that some people react to allergens given off by the bugs even without direct contact.

Vacuuming is the practical indoor answer. EPA, Penn State Extension, and UC IPM all describe the same approach, with the same caveat: the vacuum or its bag will smell of stink bugs for a period of time afterward. A dedicated shop-vac or hand vacuum kept for this job, emptied into a sealed plastic bag and stored outside, is the usual workaround. UC IPM describes a useful trick for a regular vacuum: stuff a nylon stocking inside the tube and secure the open end over the outside of the nozzle with a rubber band. Bugs end up trapped in the stocking instead of in the bag, which makes disposal cleaner and protects the filter.

A few more practical options:

• A foil roasting pan with a few drops of dish soap and a shallow layer of water, with a desk lamp pointed into it, works as a light trap in a dark room. UC IPM and EPA both describe this as a supplement, not a solution.
• Stink bugs can be brushed into a cut-off plastic bottle containing an inch of soapy water.
• Live bugs can be sealed in a plastic bag and placed in a freezer for two days to kill them, then discarded. UC IPM advises against flushing them and against putting live bugs in the garbage, so they do not become established around landfills.
• Sweeping bugs from an exterior wall into a container works when they are clustered and accessible, and UC IPM recommends waiting until it is cool so they are less likely to fly.

What does not work, and what can make things worse

Skip the indoor bug bombs. Penn State Extension is direct that pyrethrum aerosol foggers will kill BMSB on ceilings and walls in living areas, but they will not stop more from emerging from wall voids after the air clears, and they are not a good long-term solution. EPA says the same: aerosol and fogger insecticides kill exposed bugs but do not prevent new ones from emerging from cracks after they dry.

Skip the baseboard and crevice sprays for the same reason. Penn State Extension is explicit that spray directed into cracks and crevices will not prevent bugs from emerging and is not a viable treatment.

Skip the insecticide dust in the wall voids. Penn State Extension warns that carpet beetles will feed on the dead BMSB in the voids and then move on to woolens, stored dry goods, and other natural products in the home. The cure ends up creating a different pest problem.

Skip outdoor perimeter sprays as your main strategy. UC IPM notes that outdoor sprays break down rapidly, often within a few days, and that sealing the structure is more effective and more durable. If you choose an exterior treatment, EPA recommends having a licensed pest control operator treat the surrounding vegetation near the foundation with products registered for residential outdoor use. Timing that pass to just before the fall congregation is what gives the residual a chance to line up with the flight.

Light and entrances are part of the job

UC IPM notes that BMSB are attracted to lights, which is one reason they end up on porches and at doorways in the evening. A few adjustments cut down on the invites:

• Turn off porch and entry lights when they are not needed.
• Where exterior lights sit right next to a door or a screened window, relocate them or angle them away.
• When entering or leaving the house in the evening, keep the inside light near the door off while the door is open so the bugs are not drawn across the threshold.

These cut down on the single biggest moment of accidental entry each day.

Spring cleanup and follow-through

Once the fall flight is over and the cold settles in, the BMSB that made it inside are mostly sitting still. Do not treat the living spaces and call it done. Walk the interior in late winter and early spring with caulk and a vacuum:

• Vacuum up the bugs visible in attics, around ceiling fixtures, and along upper trim before they start moving.
• Seal the interior gaps they emerge from: under and behind baseboards, around window and door trim, and around ceiling light and fan boxes. An unsealed gap is an open invitation next fall.
• Continue checking high and quiet spots, including attics and behind stored boxes, every couple of weeks through May.

If BMSB is established in your region and last fall was bad, plan on doing the exterior sealing pass again in late summer before the next flight.

When to call a pro

A reasonable DIY plan covers most homes. Call a licensed pest management professional when:

• The fall flights are large enough that you are dealing with hundreds of bugs indoors per day, or the population is clearly growing each season despite your sealing.
• You cannot safely reach the exterior gaps that need sealing (high gables, roofline gaps, upper-story trim).
• You want an exterior treatment timed to the fall congregation, which EPA recommends be done by a licensed operator using products registered for residential outdoor use.
• Anyone in the household has documented allergic reactions to BMSB, or dermatitis after contact, and you need a faster knockdown than vacuuming allows.

Ask the company how they plan to combine exterior sealing, timed exterior treatment if any, and interior vacuuming. If the answer is fogging the living space, that is a red flag. Penn State Extension and EPA both treat indoor fogging as a short-term measure at best, and one that does not address where the bugs are actually coming from.

The finish line is not a bug-free living room by Wednesday. It is a fall with a much smaller flight, a house they cannot easily enter, and a vacuum that smells faintly of stink bugs for a week.