One of the bugs trying to find its way indoors for the winter was once thought to be an invasive species confined to eastern states. The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug was confirmed in Iowa last year.
Iowa State University entomologist Donald Lewis says the stinkbug was found in Warren County, Des Moines, and Council Bluffs this summer. “That spans the state. But so far we’ve only had reports from ten counties, more will probably show up. But this is how it starts, with these widely scattered reports and then we go back and we fill in the distribution in between,” Lewis says.
Lewis says the brown, stinky bugs eat almost anything, destroying fruit and vegetable crops during the summer months, before trying to get into your home. “It’s a double barreled threat, the Brown Marmirated Stinkbug will feed on your crops in the summer, it’ll come into your house in the fall of the year,” according to Lewis.
Lewis says you can take preventive measures to keep the bugs from coming inside when it gets cold, but once they’re in, insecticides aren’t always practical. So it’s probably best to go after them with a vacuum cleaner.