Why You Never Saw These Annoying Stinkbugs as a Kid Around Indiana & Kentucky

It's stinkbug season. I find those critters EVERYWHERE. The good news is that they don't really bite and aren't venomous or anything, but dang, they are so annoying. I had always wondered why I didn't notice them much when I was a kid, and today, I got the answer.

Why Are There So Many Stinkbugs?

According to Purdue University's entomology program, the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) is a native of Japan, Korea, China and Taiwan and was first reported in the United States in Pennsylvania in 1998. The invasive pest was first confirmed in Indiana in 2010.

So, I'm not losing my marbles. These things weren't around when I was a kid!

Purdue also says that while the brown marmorated stink bug isn't dangerous to humans, it poses a threat to fruit growers, certain vegetables and field crops and really has no redeeming qualities.

A brown stink bug rests on a green leaf

Are Stinkbugs Dangerous?

Stinkbugs can do some serious damage to crops.

They damage peaches, apples, nectarines and pears by causing "corky" spots under the skin that will sink in. In peppers, tomatoes, sweet corn, okra and beans, the insects transmit yeasts and bacteria that can damage fruit and cause rots.

So while they're mostly just an enormous annoyance when they show up in your house, farmers and gardeners have a much bigger reason to dislike these little stinkers.

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Why Are Stinkbugs Invading Your House?

Stinkbugs instinctively gather together in warm spots to avoid frost, snow and predators, like under tree bark during the fall. Unfortunately for us, your house makes a pretty great substitute for tree bark.

That's why you may suddenly start finding them around windows, doors, walls and other warm spots in your home.

Then they slow their bodies way, way, way down. They stop feeding, and that allows them to survive until spring.

Basically, they're trying to spend the winter rent-free in your house.

gray wooden house surrounded with tall and orange trees

How to Get Rid of Stinkbugs

Though there isn't a trap for them or anything like that, you can kill them pretty easily with a Dawn dish soap and water mix or Dawn Powerwash.

This particular mixture breaks down their waxy outer protective coating and clogs their breathing pores, called spiracles.

You can also have an exterminator treat the outside of your home where they try to sneak in.

So, if you're finding these little guys all over your house right now, you're definitely not alone. And unfortunately, they aren't going anywhere anytime soon.