How to Get Rid of Stink Bugs from Home and Garden

Suyash is a Master Gardener and the Editorial and Strategy Director at BalconyGardenWeb.com. With a focus on houseplant care, he combines over a decade of hands-on horticultural experience with editorial expertise to guide and educate plant enthusiasts.
Learn About Our Editorial Policy

2-Minute Read

Are you tired of the greedy critters eating through your homegrown veggies and fruits? Learn How to Get Rid of Stink Bugs from Home and Garden.

How to Get Rid of Stink Bugs from Home and Garden
shutterstock/HWall

Here are some super effective ways on How to Get Rid of Stink Bugs from Home and Garden to ensure these foul-smelling pests stay away for good.

Learn How to Get Rid Off Mealybugs here


How to Get Rid of Stink Bugs from Home and Garden

Stink bugs produce a foul smell if squished or disturbed. Most people find the smell disgusting, like skunk, burnt tires, ammonia, or cilantro. The critters love to feed on squash, apples, peaches, tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, gourds, and berries.

1. Keep Things Clean

How to Get Rid of Stink Bugs from Home and Garden 1
justpuregardening

The simplest way to get rid of stink bugs is to keep your home and garden clean and debris-free. Get rid of weeds, leaves, and overgrown plants. The pesky pests love to hide under decaying plant matter or decomposing logs. 

Get the Best Rat Repellent Tips here

2. Seal any Potential Entryways

How to Get Rid of Stink Bugs from Home and Garden 2
cincinnati

Look for all the potential entry points of the stinky crawling visitors in your home and garden. They make their way through holes or splits in windows behind baseboards, roof lights, debilitated fans, and dryer sheets.

Fill up any opening or crack with cement to keep the bugs away. 

3. Pick & Toss

How to Get Rid of Stink Bugs from Home and Garden 3
ajc

Once you have fixed those entry points, the next step is to carry on stink bug pest control. Pick them up using a paper towel and flush them down the drain. You can toss them outside in the freezing temperatures after trapping them in a closed lid box.

Ensure you do not squish the bugs as that will mist the air with a foul smell. 

4. Vacuum Them 

How to Get Rid of Stink Bugs from Home and Garden 3
nytimes

In case of a stink bug infestation on your carpets, you can vacuum the bugs out. However, do not forget to clean or empty the vacuum bags immediately. It is to prevent the cleaner from a stinking odor. 

5. Grow Strong Smelling Plants

How to Get Rid of Stink Bugs from Home and Garden 5

Repel these stink bugs by planting strong-smelling plants such as lavender, thyme, garlic, catnip, chrysanthemums, marigolds, and radishes. Bugs aren’t fond of such powerful scents and hence, stay away.

6. Grow Plants to Attract Stink Bugs’ Enemies

How to Get Rid of Stink Bugs from Home and Garden 4
journals

According to a study, purple tansy, marigold, and buckwheat have proven to attract parasitoid wasps. The wasps lay their eggs in the stink bug eggs and have the potential to destroy the baby bugs.  

Plant sunflower or tomato plants in the garden as trap plants. Once they attract these bugs, pull up the plant and wrap it in a plastic bag. Let it sit in the sunlight for 10-12 hours. Once the bugs are dead, carefully discard them. 

Here are the Best Tips to Attract Ladybugs to Your Garden

7. Soapy Bath

How to Get Rid of Stink Bugs from Home and Garden 7

Mix liquid soap and water in equal proportions and fill in a spray bottle. Shake well and spray on your dividers and drapes. Also, place a bowl filled with this solution where bugs frequent the most. You will be able to catch a handful of them this way. 

Learn Some Great Soap Uses in the Garden here

8. Garlic Spray

How to Get Rid of Stink Bugs from Home and Garden 5
mountaingirl

The strong scent of garlic can be used to beat stink bugs. Boil 10-12 chopped garlic cloves in a liter of water. Allow the solution to cool down, and strain the mix.

Fill into a small spray bottle and spritz where you spot these bugs.

9. Kaolin Clay

How to Get Rid of Stink Bugs from Home and Garden 9
wikihow

Another natural way to kill the stink bugs from home and garden is to use kaolin clay. This clay stops the bugs from munching on plants and laying eggs. 

Simply coat the plants with a mixture of Kaolin Clay and water mixed in the ratio of 1:1. As it also forms a thin layer on the leaves, it further prevents the bugs from attacking.

10. Neem Oil

How to Get Rid of Stink Bugs from Home and Garden 6
gardeningknowhow

Neem oil is another natural way of getting rid of stink bugs. Make a neem oil spray by combining neem oil and water in 1:2 proportion in a spray bottle. Shake well before use. 

Check out some Neem Oil Uses in the Garden here

11. Insecticidal Soap

How to Get Rid of Stink Bugs from Home and Garden 11

Insecticidal soaps work well against these soft-bodied creatures. You can buy a commercial liquid or make one for yourself.

Combine 10-12 tablespoons of liquid soap into one liter of water. Transfer into a spray bottle, and apply it directly to the infestation to get rid of the stink bugs. 

Want to Make an Insecticidal Soap at Home? Click here

12. Sticky Traps

How to Get Rid of Stink Bugs from Home and Garden 7

Stink bugs are harmless to humans but can create a nuisance. They produce an unpleasant smell if frightened, disturbed, or killed.

To kill them, you can use yellow sticky traps in the vicinity of infested plants. Keeping them near plants that attract these bugs will help you catch them effectively.

13. Make a DIY Trap

How to Get Rid of Stink Bugs from Home and Garden 13

Things you Need:

  • Empty 2-liter soda bottle
  • Electrical Tape
  • Battery-powered light 

Watch this Youtube tutorial to understand how to use the light in the bottle and electrical tape to trap the stink bugs. 

14. Use Wood Ash

How to Get Rid of Stink Bugs from Home and Garden 14
ruralsprout

Some gardeners swear by using wood ash to kill stink bugs. Collect some wood ash from your fireplace and sprinkle a thin layer where you spot these bugs. Also, it is quite effective against snails and slugs.

Learn the Best Slug Prevention Tips here

15. Keep an Eye on the Squash Family Plants

How to Get Rid of Stink Bugs from Home and Garden 8
bugspray.

Stink bugs get attracted to squash family plants like metal to a magnet. So, if you have zucchini, squash, marrows, pumpkins, cucumbers, melons, and gourds in your garden, keep an eye on them.

Learn How Human Hair Can Help Your Plants here

Recent Posts

Join our 3 Million Followers:

2.6MFollowers
300kFans
69kSubscribers

Related Articles

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here