There were 7 of these in my bedroom yesterday.
People commonly refer to this insect as a “stink bug.” Although it does have an odor, “stink bug” is not its true name. Its technical name is Western Conifer Seed Bug.
If you have a home in an area with coniferous trees, at one time or another you have probably had a run-in with this creature. This variety is common in the Midwest and can be found up to 1" long. When squashed or startled, a very strong odor emits from the thorax.
The best technique that we have come up with for dealing with them is to grab a piece of toilet tissue, hold your breath, lightly grab the bug, run to a toilet and flush the bug and tissue. Leave the room quickly and don't breath until you are out of the area between the bug and toilet. This is not for the squeamish, but it is preferable to the worst case scenario.
The worst case scenario is to roll over onto one of these bugs during the night.
Eww!! Eww!! Eww!!
6 comments:
we get infested with ladybugs (I mean sometimes hundreds a day) every year starting the 1st week of november. few people know that when in distress, they emit an odor similar to a stink bug. they also leave brown goo everywhere they crawl if they're dying, which is the only reason they come in. it lasts about 3 months.
I empathize with you, Grace.
Can we compare infestations?
We have spiders the size of Shelob from LOTR: Return of the King. The kind that you HAVE to kill with a shoe, because they splat all over the place, leaving a disgustingly large amount of goo on whatever surface they were on when you hastened their involvement in the Circle of Life.
I like Gil Grissom of CSI fame, but his love for bugs is probably why he's still single.
I read a study regarding how many bugs we EAT, not just roll over.
Saw this documentary about how the bed houses a whole ecosystem. Ewwwwww
thank you David. Now I'm ready for sweet dreams. :-/
cindy,
Sorry about the lady bugs. I think that boxelder bugs leave some brown spots too.
Robby,
Are they wolf spiders? We get those late summer/early fall. They are huge and kind of grey. Fortunately we didn't have very many this year - I think one in the house, and a few in the garage. Definitely a mess to squish.
One of my kids' favorite memories:
(sorry this is long for a comment)
We had just returned from a weekend trip, early September. We opened the garage and began carrying in luggage. However, there was a bat in the garage (first time ever). There I was standing in the garage with this bat flying around my head. So I hit the deck. Thinking I was safe, I glanced down, and within an inch of my face there was a 3-inch wolf spider. At this point, I lost it and ran from the garage screaming hysterically. The boys thought it was awesome!
David,
Thanks for sharing. I just have to pretend this isn't true.
inheritor,
Our box elder bugs are worse than usual also this year.
Grace,
No, they aren't wolf spiders, although I've seen those in the "Cottage Country" areas of Ontario. Grey, ugly, spawn like salmon under boat docks, it appears.
Not sure what kind these are, aside from brownish-yellow, fat-butted, major-goo-producing arachnoids from the pit.
Your story about the bat & spider is great -- I'm going to go tell it to Wendy right now! :)
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