The best way to get rid of stink bugs is to keep them out and remove the ones already inside by hand. Seal cracks around windows, doors, siding and vents before they gather in late summer and fall. Vacuum up the bugs that get in, or sweep them into a container of soapy water. Skip indoor sprays and foggers: they don’t work well, and bugs that die in your walls can feed carpet beetles. Stink bugs don’t bite, sting or damage your house, and they leave on their own in spring.
| Method | Does it work? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sealing gaps (caulk, screens, sweeps) | Yes, the best method | Do it before late summer, when bugs start gathering |
| Vacuuming | Yes | Use a stocking in the tube to keep the smell out of the vacuum |
| Soapy water container | Yes | Sweep bugs in; they can’t climb out and drown |
| Light trap (soapy water under a lamp) | Somewhat | Best in late winter and spring when bugs wake up indoors |
| Store-bought traps | Somewhat | Catch some bugs; won’t clear an infested house |
| Indoor sprays and foggers | No | Not recommended; dead bugs in walls attract carpet beetles |
| Outdoor perimeter spray | Short-term | Only just before bugs gather in fall; breaks down in days to a week |
| Mint, garlic or oil sprays | No good evidence | Not a reliable repellent |
| Ultrasonic repellers | No | No evidence they affect stink bugs |
Table of Contents
Why Stink Bugs Are in Your House
The stink bugs that invade homes are almost always brown marmorated stink bugs. In late summer and early fall, adults gather on warm, sunny walls and squeeze through gaps to spend the winter in attics and wall voids. On warm days in winter and early spring, they wake up and wander into living spaces. They don’t breed or feed indoors. See where stink bugs come from for more.
Step 1: Seal Them Out
Exclusion is the most effective control. Do it in late summer, before the bugs start gathering, and again for any gaps you find in fall:
- Caulk cracks around windows, doors, siding, utility pipes and chimneys, and under wood fascia, with silicone or silicone-latex caulk.
- Repair or replace torn window and door screens.
- Fit door sweeps and weather stripping so there are no gaps under or around exterior doors.
- Screen attic and soffit vents, and check where cables and pipes enter the house.
- Check window air conditioners and the gaps around them.
Step 2: Remove the Ones Inside
Remove stink bugs as you find them. It is the safest and most effective way to deal with bugs already indoors.
- Vacuum them. Slip a knee-high stocking over the vacuum tube, hold it with a rubber band and push it into the tube. The bugs collect in the stocking instead of the bag or canister. Empty them into soapy water when you are done.
- Drown them. Cut the top off a straight-sided half-gallon or gallon plastic container and fill the bottom quarter with water and a teaspoon of dish soap. Sweep bugs into it from walls, windows and drapes with your hand, a piece of cardboard or a whisk broom. Tape it to a pole for high spots.
- Don’t crush them. Crushing releases the smell. The odor doesn’t attract more bugs, but it is unpleasant. Learn more in what stink bugs smell like.
Step 3: Set a Light Trap
Stink bugs move toward light. A simple light trap catches bugs that come out of the walls in late winter and spring:
- Fill a roasting pan or other wide pan with water and a few drops of dish soap.
- Set it on the floor of a dark room where you see stink bugs, such as an attic or spare room.
- Aim a desk lamp or small light at the water and turn off other lights.
- Empty the pan every morning.
Store-bought indoor traps with an LED light work the same way. Outdoor traps that use a pheromone lure are mainly useful for spotting when bugs are active. No trap will clear a house that already has many bugs in its walls, so sealing comes first.
Should You Use Insecticides?
- Indoors: no. Sprays and foggers don’t kill all the bugs and don’t stop more from coming in. Spraying cracks doesn’t prevent entry. Bugs killed inside wall voids and attics can feed carpet beetles, which then damage wool and stored food; see carpet beetles.
- Outdoors: only if the problem is severe. A licensed pest professional can apply a pyrethroid to the outside of the house in early fall, just before bugs gather. Sunlight breaks it down, so it lasts only several days to a week. If you treat yourself, use a product labeled for exterior use around windows and door thresholds, and follow the label.
- Weigh it up. Stink bugs are a nuisance, not a danger. They don’t bite, sting or damage wood, so the cost and chemical exposure are often not worth it.
Stink Bugs in the Garden
In gardens, stink bugs damage tomatoes, peppers, beans, sweet corn and fruit. Check plants in the morning, when bugs are sluggish, and knock them into a bucket of soapy water. Pick off clusters of light green, barrel-shaped eggs from under leaves. Natural enemies help too: the samurai wasp, a tiny, stingerless wasp that destroys stink bug eggs, has spread to many US states since it was first detected in 2014.
Similar fall invaders need the same approach; see boxelder bugs, Asian lady beetles and the western conifer seed bug.
Stink bug control essentials
- Exterior silicone caulk and a caulking gun for gaps
- Door sweeps and weather stripping
- Window screen repair kit
- Indoor stink bug light trap for attics and spare rooms
- Small wet/dry vacuum you can dedicate to bugs
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FAQ
Vacuum them up with a knee-high stocking stuffed into the vacuum tube, or sweep them into a container of soapy water, where they drown. Then seal the gaps around windows, doors, siding and vents so more can’t get in.
No. Extension entomologists don’t recommend indoor sprays or foggers. They won’t kill all the bugs or stop more from coming in, and bugs that die inside walls can feed carpet beetles that later damage wool and stored food.
Partly. A simple light trap, a pan of soapy water under a lamp in a dark room, catches bugs that wake up inside in late winter and spring. Store-bought traps catch some bugs, but they won’t clear a house that already has many in the walls. Sealing entry points matters more.
Keeping them out. Caulk cracks, repair screens and seal around pipes and vents before they gather in late summer and fall. Home sprays made with mint, garlic or other oils have no reliable evidence behind them.
No. Crushing one releases a strong smell, but the odor doesn’t draw in more stink bugs, and it fades. Vacuuming or drowning them avoids the smell.
They leave on their own in spring. Bugs that overwintered in your walls and attic head back outdoors as the weather warms, usually by May or June.
Sources
- University of Maryland Extension: Tips for dealing with brown marmorated stink bugs
- National Pesticide Information Center: Stink bugs
- StopBMSB.org: Samurai wasp (Trissolcus japonicus)
Related guides
- Stink Bug Pictures: What Stink Bugs Look Like (and Look-Alikes)
- Stink Bug Life Cycle-Eggs, Baby Stink Bugs, Adults & Span
- Do Stink Bugs Bite? Are they Harmful or Poisonous to pets & Humans?
- Squash Bugs: Pictures, Eggs & How to Get Rid of Them
- How to Get Rid of Boxelder Bugs Permanently (Inside & Outside)