Halyomorpha halys, also known as brown marmorated stink bugs, have become a great headache for homeowners. These pests are half an inch long with an adult stink bug growing to be 1.7cm long, and have a shape that resembles a shield. Stink bugs mostly appear during the spring season, but are seen throughout the year in many parts of the world. They feed on fruits, such as apples, mulberries, peaches and citrus fruits. They are not harmful to humans but they release a rather unpleasant smell when they feel threatened.
Here are some home remedies that will, for sure, help you with your stink bug control:
1. Hot peppers
Hot peppers kill the stink bugs, when sprayed on them. Make a hot pepper solution by diluting the peppers in water. Spray this solution onto the stink bug, it will burn the exterior of the bug and kill it immediately.
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2. Make a garlic spray
Mix 2 cups of water with 4 tsp of garlic powder in a spray bottle. Spray this solution onto plant leaves, windowsills, and other areas stink bugs frequently hangout. Mythologically garlic is said to repel vampires but what they didn’t tell you is that is also repels stink bugs. Great news for environmentalists garlic only repels the insects instead of killing them. You can also chops several cloves of garlic and spread the pieces around stink bug hide-outs.
3. Use mint
Mix 2 cups of water with 10 drops of peppermint essential oil in a spray bottle. Spray the solution around possible entryways and hide-outs. Like garlic, mint only acts as a repellent rather than a poison. The strong odor is often successful in keeping stink bugs away. If you don’t have any peppermint oil accessible you can also opt for 2 tbs of ground peppermint leaves!
4. Use catnip
Sprinkle catnip powder around your garden and home, catnip acts as a repellent that scares stink bugs away rather than killing them. If you have been in a long term battle with stink bugs you can grow catnip in your garden instead of buying it.
These methods are a sure fire way to keep stick bugs out of your garden and home without having to contaminate your crops with the chemicals from insecticides.
