Shield-shaped insects, more popularly known as stink bugs, can be a major pest in homes and gardens. Thousands of home owners across the country face the frustrating challenge of battling against these foul smelling insects that invade their homes. There are several stink bug control methods that one can use as well as products that can help reduce the number of these pests inside the home, but learning what you are up against is the best defense and offense you have.
In trying to control your stink bug problem, the very first thing you should do is to learn about the habits of these insects as well as their life cycle. The bad news is that adult stink bugs can live for several years and the females lay clusters of eggs ranging from thirty to a hundred and there can be up to four generations of stink bugs a year in places with warm climate. Now it is quite easy to imagine how the population can grow rapidly. Nymph stink bugs go through 5 instar stages and after each stage the young stink bug molts its soft skin. The adult stink bug has a hard, waxy outer covering aside from looking like a small shield. This shield-like part is one of the major reasons why it is difficult to kill these bugs with insecticides. People have known to use different kinds of stink bug trap that doesn’t include crushing the insects in any way. This is because when crushed, their bodies release more of that foul smelling chemical that they use to discourage predators from eating them.
Stink bugs are attracted to light and some sweet smelling scents. This is the reason why several stink bug traps include a light source or a scent source.