The moment someone finds out I am a Horticulturist, I am inundated with questions. As fall is coming to a close and winters veil is descending upon us, I find one star emerging through conversation, the Stink Bug! “Why do I have them in my house? Where did they come from? How do I get rid of them and keep them out”? Every year about this time I am asked this question, and I am equipped to respond, but, I must stop myself and ask one more question. “Does your Stink Bug look like a Lady Bug”? As they reply, “Yes”, I find myself smiling inside. I know, if one has a choice, and must choose, we would all pick the Lady Bug hands down.
“Oh well, Lady Bug, Stink Bug, let’s not split hairs about the name and just tell me how to get rid of it”. But, if you truly want to understand your invading friend, or foe, you will want to know its name.
The most common “Stink Bug” invader in NE Ohio is actually the Multi Color Asian Lady Beetle or Harmonia axyridis, arriving from its native Asia in the early 80’s. Very similar in looks to the native Lady Bug, or Coconella semptempunctata, but usually favors the yellow to warm orange coloration. Both the Native Lady Beetle and the Multi Color Asian Lady beetle are harmless. Yes, they both can exude a stink to deter predators, but it will not harm you, your home, your pets or your children. They may give a little pinch when threatened but this usually does not amount to much. They are not nesting or breeding, they are looking to stay warm for winter and want to leave at the first sign of spring, in which our temperature control homes cause confusion for them.
On the other hand, the true Stink Bug, or the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, Halyomorph halys is an invasive pest. A Chinese import arriving around 1996 in PA, the Stink Bug has an armor or shield shape and is usually mottled brown in coloration. They exude a stink as well, which in my opinion is decisively more fowl than the Lady Beetles. They are looking for the same solace in your home as the other beetles. They have straw like mouth parts so they cannot bite you, but could stab you with these parts if they feel threatened. The Brown Marmorated Stink bugs are not nesting or reproducing in your home, but they are a nuisance.
Unlike the native Lady Beetle and the Multi Color Asian lady Beetle that will help you garden by eating pests, the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug wants to eat your precious plants. So, if your Stink Bugs are really Lady Beetles, then pull out your shop vacuum and count your blessings, you could have a real pest.
