Stink bugs are an agricultural pest and a home-invading nuisance.

The annoying, shield-shaped brown bugs hitched a ride to the U.S. in cargo shipments from Asia in the late 1990s, and now — thanks to their proclivity for procreating four times a year and the absence of natural predators — they’ve spread to 33 states.

Now, they damage crops and bug people.

As the temperatures drop, you see them creep indoors — dusty brown insects about the size of a thumbnail. They’re stink bugs, and the good news is that they don’t bite, sting or damage your home. The bad news is that they — along with all their relatives — want to spend the winter inside with you, whether you like it or not, according to Plow and Hearth, which specializes in home and garden products. Even worse, the bugs stink.

While you can grab up the occasional ant or spider with a paper towel or napkin, crushing a stink bug in such a way releases its primary defense mechanism — a liquid toxin with an offensive smell — a powerful odor that will bring even more of these menacing insects your way. In fact, just chasing them can have the same result.

Stink bugs reproduce four times a year. Each time a stink bug reproduces, it produces between 20 and 30 eggs on tree and other plant leaves. With no natural predators in the United States, multiple reproductive cycles, fast development and an ability to travel easily (hitching rides on buses and in construction materials), the numbers of stink bugs have exploded.

Part of what makes stink bugs so difficult to control is that they are resistant to many types of pesticides. If you find stink bugs on your crops, shake them off into a bucket of soapy water — the soapy water keeps them from flying away.

Stink bugs in your house? Vacuuming them up is the best way to vanquish the little beasts, but be sure to use a vacuum with a bag that you can remove, seal up and discard when you’re done. Flushing them down the toilet also works.

The best way to get rid of stink bugs is keep them from getting in your home in the first place, so make sure your house is properly sealed. Before the nights start to get cold in late fall, check the outside of your house carefully for cracks or holes the bugs can use to gain access. Put screens on all windows and doors that don’t already have them. Also, don’t leave any unnecessary lights on, as stink bugs, like other flying insects, are attracted to light.

By MCT News Service