When people talk about the stink beetle, it is actually not a beetle but a bedbug. These insects belong to the order of beaked insects. They are harmless and have a special way of life due to their mouthparts.
What to do against stink bugs or stink beetles?
The stink bug, also known as the stink beetle, is neither poisonous nor dangerous and usually only occasionally gets into the house through open windows and doors. It can easily be caught with a screw-top jar and released in the garden. If the animals are particularly annoying, various home remedies can help.
Repel and combat stink beetles
Isolated stink bugs in the house can simply be picked up
If you want to get rid of stink beetles, you can usually resort to simple remedies. A few insects in the house probably got lost through open windows and doors. You can capture the bugs with a screw-top jar and release them in the garden. If the bug population in the apartment has spread to such an extent that a plague has arisen, countermeasures may be useful.
Build a trap
Researchers at Virginia Tech College have analyzed how well bedbugs can be attracted and killed with a homemade trap. They filled a container with water and added a few squirts of dishwashing liquid. The trap was placed under a lamp. Their results show that the insects are strongly attracted to light. They fall into the shell and drown in the water due to the low surface tension. Such a trap catches up to 14 times more pests than a conventional commercial insect trap.
Glue traps
Like many insects, stink bugs are attracted to the color yellow. Therefore, yellow glue boards are effective in preventing the insects from entering the home. Stick the strips on the window frame or on the door sill. As soon as the bugs come into contact with the surface, they stick and die. As an alternative, you can also use double-sided tape.
DIY sticky traps:
- Cut baking paper into strips
- spread with syrup or honey
- let dry
- attach to entrance gates with adhesive tape
Home remedies
There are a number of home remedies you can use to easily kill bedbugs. Before you carry out the measures, you should think about the benefits. Many products are not particularly animal-friendly and cause unnecessary suffering to insects. Since bedbugs do not cause any damage in the home, combating them is often not necessary.
| Effect | Application | |
|---|---|---|
| Chili sauce | Capsaicin irritates insects and destroys their wax layer | Wet beetles with a fine spray |
| Hairspray | paralyzes the insects | spray directly on the insects |
| window cleaning products containing alcohol | destroys wax layer so that insects dry out | Wet bugs |
| White wine vinegar | Animals drown without releasing odors | Catch bugs and place them in a jar filled with vinegar |
Make pepper spray
If you have chili flakes, fresh chili peppers or jalapeños in the house, you can use them as a base for an insecticide spray. Boil the flakes or chopped pods in water and let the broth simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes.
So that the capsaicin contained in it is optimally released into the water, you should then let the mixture steep for 24 hours. Strain the flakes and add a few drops of dishwashing liquid. Olive soap has proven itself because it is biodegradable and harmless to humans and plants.
Mix spirit solution
Mix some rubbing alcohol with water and pour the solution into a spray bottle. With this product you can spray the bugs directly and also wet plants that are infested with related species of bugs. The alcohol attacks the sensitive wax layer, which protects the insects from drying out. If the protective layer is destroyed, the bugs lose excessive water and dry out.
Brew nicotine brew
Cigarette butts in water are a deadly remedy against stink bugs
Nicotine is a highly effective neurotoxin that can be used to kill bedbugs. Old cigarette butts can be used to make a control agent. Put the leftovers in warm water and let the brew steep. Then sieve the coarse pieces out of the liquid and pour the nicotine brew into a spray bottle. Add a few drops of dish soap. This ensures that the liquid sticks to the bug. Spray the insects with the solution.
Chemical agents
Insecticides effectively kill stink bugs. Since they can have a negative impact on the he alth of people and pets, they should be used with caution. It can become a problem if the insects die in inaccessible niches. The remains often attract pest insects. Chemical agents usually only help for a limited period of time. As soon as the effect has worn off and you open windows and doors to ventilate, the next bugs can enter.
- Wax Remover: kills within a few minutes
- De-icer: ices the bug in seconds
- Bleach: has a very aggressive effect
- Ammonia: strong smell scares away insects
Preventing stink bugs
If you want to get rid of stink bugs, you need to take preventive measures. To prevent insects from entering your house and apartment, you should check facades, windows and doors for leaks and seal them with silicone. If you ventilate in the evening, turn off the lights. Bedbugs are attracted to light sources.
Repel stink bugs
Bugs love warmth and prefer to sit on the house walls of the balcony and terrace facing south. To keep them out of your home, you can spray an intensely scented solution of water, vinegar and dish soap on window sills and door frames. The smell of vinegar scares the insects away, causing them to run away. You can also spray the troublemakers directly with the solution. This does not harm the bugs, but rather has a deterrent effect.
Bedbugs don't like these materials:
- Salmiac
- fresh juniper branches
- Clove or neem oil
Make your own deterrent spray
Garlic and mint are a good mixture against stink bugs
Bedbugs don't like the smell of intensely scented substances. You can take advantage of this property by spraying a deterrent at possible entry points. Fill an atomizer bottle with 500 milliliters of water and add either four teaspoons of ground garlic or ten drops of mint oil. The remedy is effective until the scent has disappeared. Essential oils evaporate quickly, so you need to use the product more often.
Are stink bugs poisonous or dangerous?
If you find stink bugs in the apartment, you don't have to worry. The insects do not cause any damage to the building structure and do not attack food. There are also no special precautionary measures for pets. When the stink bugs become a nuisance, they evoke feelings of disgust. However, they are not a sign of poor hygiene.
Don't be afraid of stink bugs:
- neither dangerous nor toxic to humans
- not toxic to cats, but secretions can cause irritation in the eyes and mouth
- non-toxic to dogs, may cause excessive salivation after accidental eating
Odor nuisance
If the insects secrete their defensive secretion when there is impending danger or in stressful situations, this can lead to an odor nuisance. The secretion of the most common species is usually not poisonous. Sensitive people should wash their hands thoroughly as secretions can cause allergic reactions.
Excursus
Stink Beetle Plague 2018
This year was characterized by a long summer with particularly warm temperatures, making it ideal for bedbugs to multiply. Normally the insects develop one generation per year. In 2018 there were two generations, meaning twice as many animals. In many regions, people struggled with these species:
- Green Stink Bug
- Marbled Stink Bug
- Greyish-brown field bug or garden bug
- Reddish-brown cone bug
Heated interiors and light sources attract bedbugs. Shortly before winter, they looked for suitable quarters and entered buildings through open windows and doors or through open spaces on the facade. In some places, the stink bug has become a nuisance in the home. Heated winter gardens or covered balconies also represent an ideal place to retreat.
Can the stink bug cause a bite?
Stink bugs can bite plants, but not humans
Bedbugs have piercing-sucking mouthparts. These consist of a tube with a narrow longitudinal groove on the top. The proboscis is equipped with stinging bristles on both sides, which have sharp teeth at the tip. Using these mouthparts, bugs can drill tiny holes in plants, seeds and fruits to suck them out. Stink bugs, which include stink bugs, are not dangerous to humans. They do not cause a bite on human skin.
Stink bugs are completely harmless to humans and should not be killed carelessly.
Bites from a soft bug
Psallus varians does not belong to the stink bugs, but to the soft bug family and is a few millimeters long. The species feeds on tree pollen and aphids. It mainly inhabits beech and oak trees. An unusual observation occurred in 2016. The species appeared in large swarms and often stung people.
The painful bite caused allergic reactions, which manifested themselves in inflammation and reddening of the skin. There is no explanation for this unusual behavior. Apparently the insects were irritated by the freak weather with heavy rain and humidity.
Species in Germany
A species that is increasingly found in Germany is often referred to as a stink bug. It belongs to the stink bug family, which has around 70 species in Central Europe. The stink beetle, on the other hand, refers to a related species that is not originally native to Germany.
| food plants | Harmful effects | Family | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common stink bug | Alders, linden trees, nettles, thistles | no significant damage | Stunk Bugs |
| Marbled Stink Bug | prefers roses | Crop damage and fungal transmission | Stunk Bugs |
| Gray garden bug | Deciduous trees, dead insects | causes no damage | Stunk Bugs |
| American pine bug | Conifers | Reduction in yield when producing conifer seeds | Border bugs |
Common stink bug
The green stink bug (Palomena prasina) is between twelve and 13.5 millimeters long and has a broad, oval body. It is characterized by a color change that is determined by the respective season. From spring to autumn the insects are green in color and have fine dark dots.
When the temperature drops in autumn, the green stink beetle changes its basic color to brown to reddish brown. Only after overwintering does the green color appear again. The nymphs have a green base tone and are patterned in black and white.
Marbled Stink Bug
This species is colloquially known as the stink beetle. This name refers to the marbled stink bug (Halyomorpha halys). With a body length of twelve to 17 millimeters, the bug is a relatively large species of bug. Like all stink bugs, this species has a robust body shape that appears somewhat leaf-shaped. The body is ocher colored and has numerous black dots that sit close together.
Colloquial terms:
- brown stink bug: Insects are reminiscent of the green stink bug with brown coloring
- Chinese stink bug: Bug originally comes from Eastern China
- Asian stink bug: dreaded pest is common in Japan, Korea and Taiwan
The bugs become active as soon as the thermometer rises above ten degrees Celsius. They suck sap and do not specialize in any plant species. Their diet includes around 300 different herbs and bushes, from which leaves and fruits are sucked. The marmorated stink bug can appear on maiden vines, rowan berries or ash trees and sucks on trumpet trees and buddleia.
American pine bug
The American cone bug immigrated to Germany just a few years ago
This species of bug belongs to the edge bug family and originally comes from western North America. The American cone bug (Leptoglossus occidentalis) can grow up to two centimeters long and is unmistakable due to its striking flying sound. The species was first observed in Germany in 2006.
It lives in coniferous forests and secretes an attractant that smells like pine trees. Because the bugs suck seeds from conifers, they are feared in nurseries. The species can be recognized by its reddish-brown to black upper surface. A zigzag band in white color running across the elytra is characteristic.
Other names for the species:
- American stink beetle or American stink bug
- Canadian stink bug or Canadian cone bug
- North American pine bug
Gray garden bug
This stink bug is sometimes referred to as the gray field bug and has the scientific name Rhaphigaster nebulosa. It is between 14 and 16 millimeters long and is colored a dirty gray with yellowish or brownish nuances. The elytra are covered with irregular point pits. The gray garden bug has a typical black and yellow pattern on the edges of the abdomen.
From egg to bug
The development of bedbugs is a fascinating natural spectacle. Each species of bug is characterized by its own mating behavior. Stink bugs and edge bugs mate in a similar way to fire bugs. Males and females sit together so that their abdomens touch. They typically produce one generation per year. Under particularly favorable conditions, several generations can arise. If winter comes too early, the nymphs can no longer complete their development.
Egg laying
Females of many species of bugs have a well-developed ovipositor with which they can drill into the soil or plant tissue and lay their eggs there. Species with an underdeveloped ovipositor bury their eggs in the substrate or stick them in small packages to parts of plants.
Development
The newly hatched nymphs have little in common with the adult stink bug
After the nymphs hatch from the eggs, they usually molt five times. As the development stages progress, the young animals become more and more similar to the adult bugs. They do not go through a pupal stage but rather a gradual change. Many species of bugs practice brood care and look after their offspring after they hatch. A social coexistence of the nymphs is typical for stink bugs. They secrete pheromones that help the insects stay together. In case of danger, an alarm substance is produced that forces the group to disperse.
Lifespan
The diurnal green stink bug develops from egg to young bug over a period of three months. The insects are able to reproduce just one week after the last molt. Their mating season extends from May to June. Sexually mature animals can also appear between July and August. Adult bugs survive the winter in mild conditions, giving the insects a lifespan of twelve to 14 months.
Wintering
The stink bugs native to Europe predominantly overwinter as adult bugs. When temperatures drop in autumn, they look for suitable winter quarters with warm and protected conditions. This is why large numbers of bedbugs often appear in apartments and houses in urban areas. They crawl through cracks and crevices or come through open windows and doors.
Tip
Since insects can fly, you should put fly screens on windows. Spray a solution of water and garlic powder or mint oil on possible entry points to deter the insects.
Lifestyle and behavior
Bedbugs live in forests, bushes and herb-rich landscapes. Their diet is broad and varies depending on the family and species. The insects know how to defend themselves in case of danger or against predators, which causes aversion in humans.
Food
The green stink bug eats a purely vegetarian diet
Stink bugs have a polyphagous diet. They do not specialize in any one food, but use different food sources. The green stink bug occurs preferentially on deciduous trees such as linden and alder. It lives in bushes and colonizes nettles and thistles. The nymphs suck the sap from the green parts of the plant, while adult bugs suck ripening seeds and fruits. When the insect appears in gardens, it causes no relevant damage.
This is how stink bugs feed:
- Robber: Stiretrus anchorago (English: anchor stink bug)
- Pests: Grain bug (Aelia acuminata), Cabbage bug (Eurydema oleracea)
- Sapsuckers: Green stink bug (Palomena prasina)
- Insect decomposer: Gray garden bug (Rhaphigaster nebulosa)
Defensive secretion
Bedbugs have scent glands located on the underside of the chest. The nymphs have these glands and can defend themselves against birds, small animals or other insects. The defensive substances that cause a bad smell in some stink bugs can be sprayed in specific directions using the glands. The production of antibodies occurs when there is danger or stressful situations.
Many people perceive the scent of this secretion as unpleasant. Descriptions vary from an unpleasant and pungent chemical bitter almond aroma to fruit-like smells. The secretion settles in clothing, on the skin or in carpet fibers, so that the affected areas emit unpleasant odors for a long time.
Stinkwanzen - Warum stinken sie?
Tip
Do not catch stink bugs by hand and be careful not to crush the insects. It's gentler with a screw-top jar and a piece of paper.
Remove odor
The foul-smelling secretion can sometimes exude its scent in the apartment for days. Thorough cleaning with soap and water is usually not enough because the bedbug secretion consists of 18 different substances, including some acids. To remove the smell, you should try proven home remedies:
- Rubbing hands with coffee grounds
- Spread baking soda on light-colored clothing and carpets and soak with water
- Treat dark textiles or skin with lemon juice
Frequently asked questions
Is the green stink bug poisonous to humans?
Although this species secretes a foul-smelling secretion, there is no cause for alarm. The liquid is non-toxic. It is used to ward off predators and is often sprayed in stressful situations. If you get the secretion in your eyes, you should rinse them thoroughly with clean water. Skin irritations or allergic reactions may occur in sensitive people.
What to do about stink beetles?
The marmorated stink bug is often referred to as a stink bug. Since it is considered a crop pest, larger populations should be eliminated. Outdoors, you can dust the bugs with diatomaceous earth. This causes the protective layer of the exoskeleton to dissolve, causing the insects to dry out. An aqueous solution with a little dishwashing liquid has a similar effect.
Which beetle likes to eat tomatoes?
The marmorated stink bug is considered a feared crop pest in agriculture. The species originally comes from East Asia. It has now spread to southern Europe. The bug is not picky when it comes to its diet. She eats apples, corn or berries. Grapes, tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers are also not ignored. The marmorated stink bug is occasionally found on ornamental plants such as roses or lilacs.
Are stink bugs useful?
Some bugs are both beneficial and harmful. They suck the juices from leaves, seeds and fruits. This causes stunted growth and stunting. They can transmit viruses, fungi and bacteria to cultivated plants. However, there are also predatory bugs that are used as beneficial insects against spider mites, aphids or psyllids. They do not cause any damage to plants as they feed exclusively on insects.
Can stink bugs fly?
There are some species of bugs that don't have wings. All stink bugs have well-developed wings. These are completely membranous and enable flying locomotion. In this way, insects can easily enter the apartment through open windows and doors.
Are bedbugs edible?
Beaked bugs, which include bugs, make up around ten percent of the insects eaten worldwide. In Asia, various bugs have become an integral part of the menu. The giant water bug (Lethocerus patruelis) is used as a spice in Thailand and other Far Eastern countries. The insects are attracted and captured at night using UV lights. They are then roasted and mashed to flavor various dishes. Due to increasing demand and the loss of vital water sources, the population of this species continues to decline.
