How to Get Rid of Spined Soldier Bugs

Stink bug removal can be done by patching vulnerabilities in the home.

Unfortunately, while spined stink bugs are great for deterring pests, they can wreak havoc in your home, where they retreat during colder parts of the year and remain until warmer weather returns.

1. Inspect your interior and exterior cracks. Spined stink bugs will enter your home through any and all available cracks. During the summer season, when they're outside, check your home exterior for cracks in the foundation, weep holes and attic cracks. Check windows, doorframes, ceiling fixtures and false ceiling walls during the winter months when they're more than likely hiding within the walls of your home.

2. Seal the interior and exterior of your home against any cracks and vulnerabilities you've found. Use wire mesh to patch weep holes, and apply tight-fitting screens to foundation and attic cracks. Seal windows and doors with a fully loaded caulking gun.

3. Spray pesticides, such as nicotine water, on your plants and around your garden during spring to kill and repel stink bugs. Make nicotine water by steeping 1/2 pack of cigarettes in 1/2 gallon of lukewarm water. Allow the mixture to form for about 30 minutes before straining the water through cheesecloth to remove nicotine flakes. Add a tsp. of detergent and pour the mixture into a spray bottle.

4. Place light traps in infested areas to attract and kill stink bugs. Move the traps to different areas when their effectiveness declines, as this simply means the stink bugs have relocated to another area of your home.

5. Vacuum large hordes of stink bugs with a vacuum cleaner designated for this sole purpose. You can also fill a bucket of water halfway and mix it with equal parts of a commercial cleaner such as Mr. Clean. Put on rubber gloves and flick spined stink bugs into the soapy mixture. This penetrates their shells and kills them. You can also use a wet/dry shop vac to place the soapy mixture in and kill stink bugs as you vacuum them up.