Well now that autumn has set in, you may have noticed that stink in the air around or in your house. Fall is the time that stink bugs surround your house and want to get in and overwinter. Stink bugs have an eerie ability to slip into homes through rips in window screens and door cracks. Their name comes from their defence mechanism, they emit a strong odour from their body glands whenever they feel threatened or injured: similar to a skunk defending itself. The smell differs depending on the species and your own olfactory senses. The odour from the stink bug is due to trans-2-decenal and trans-2-Octenal, characterized as a pungent odor that can smells like a combination of coriander, intense-smelling herbs and spices, burnt tires, oily, dusty, woody and earthy. This smell can remain for days so carefully sweep or vacuum them up if they have entered your house. To help keep stink bugs out of your home, rake all vegetation and debris away from your home’s foundation. Properly seal all cracks around window frames, door frames, siding utility pipes and other openings with latex caulking. Replace damaged screens on doors and windows.
