Typical household bug infestations include an army of ants, a swarm of flies, or even termites gnawing away at wood houses. But this school year, CHS students and their families have noticed a new species sharing their home: the stinkbug.
Stinkbugs typically die off during the cold winter months. However, many stinkbugs have recently chosen to spend the winter season inside the homes of CHS students. Students have noticed an influx of stinkbugs that has lasted through the winter months.
“There were 20 [stinkbugs] on my window sill and they’re gross,” junior Maryam Mashayekhi said. “They invaded my house. We had to call an exterminator.”
According to the University of Maryland (UMD) Home and Garden Information website, one can limit or control a stinkbug infestation by closing up cracks and sealing all bug-friendly access points. Stinkbugs can be found in attics, small, hard- to reach cracks or under sofas. It is recommended to seal up all accessible points in advance or after an infestation occurs.
“Stinkbugs have been all over the place,” said exterminator Tracy Earp of Affordable Pest Control. “They are hard to kill because of their shield, it protects them from pesticides.”
Both Earp and the University of Maryland Home and Garden website state that despite the fact that stinkbugs are in the shape of a shield, their real shield is the gland that gives off a terrible smell whenever they are crushed or feel threatened. The smell is one of their methods of self-defense. Some stinkbugs are even immune to certain pesticides.
“When a stinkbug is killed, a liquid comes out that stinks,” Earp said. “They use it as a defense mechanism.”
Stinkbugs have invaded the United States since they were brought here from Asia approximately nine years ago. Since then, many have found them to be household nuisances.
Although stinkbugs can be frightening, they are harmless. Stinkbugs come from the Pentatomidae family, which refers to their five-segmented antennae. They come in shades of brown, can lay up to 30 eggs at a time, and are about 5/8 in. long.
Mashayekhi offered some advice for first time encounters with stinkbugs.
“When you see one, calm down,” Mashayekhi said. “They are not as scary as they seem to be.”
