Managing bugs?

Thomas575
Level 2
Round Top, NY

Managing bugs?

Hello Good People!

 

Anyone have any suggestions on how to manage stink bugs? My place is in the Northern Catskills and I've worked so hard to maintain an almost two year "Superhost" status and now guests are really complaining (which I can fully understand).  I've been up in the area for five years and have never experienced something like this... honestly, I never saw one until this past October (thank you Global Warming?).  

 

 

now I cannot figure out how to get rid of them - it seems like the whole area has been overrun this year by the critters! 

 

**[Title updated]

6 Replies 6
Susie5
Level 10
Boston, MA

Hi @Thomas575,

I'm no expert but I'm pretty good at using Google University! Here is one solution:

 

Keep stink bugs away with mint. Mix 2 cups (500 ml) of water with 10 drops of mint oil in a spray bottle. Spray the solution around possible entryways and hide-outs. Like garlic, mint only acts as a repellent rather than a poison.

 

There's also a Wikihow on stinkbugs: lots of good ideas here! https://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Stink-Bugs-Naturally 

 

Good luck!

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS HELPFUL ADVICE!  I’ll go buy it this weekend!  😉

 

with gratitude,

 

thomas 

@Thomas575, we are in the city, so the issue is very different here.

But this is a useful discusson to have, because so many listings are in more wooded areas.

My understanding is that stink bugs are relatively harmless? It is just that folk are not accustomed to sharing their living quarters with them.

When I go camping, I assume I will see a certain amount of wildlife of all varieties, and I would not criticize a facility for seeing them.

Would it be helpful to try to educate people about the current environment around your listing? Or would even bringing up the topic of bugs be too icky?

That’s a really great question!  I am definitely considering mentioning this in my listing profile.  

 

Thank you for this great feedback!

 

Thomas

Rene-and-Zac0
Level 10
La Quinta, CA

@Thomas575 This past summer we had an invasion of beetles in the Coachella Valley. They were 6 legged nasty little things. I realized they were coming in through the AC vents somehow and I knew it was just a matter of time before it shows up in my reviews. I got a roll of window screen from the hardware store and cut squares to fit inside the vents and obviously block and beetles from entering the house. We went from seeing about 15-20 bugs throughout the house PER DAY to maybe one per week now. It took a couple of hours work to remove all the vents and fit the screen behind the vent but I feel now it was well worth it. I also pour boric acid around the perimeter of the entire house and in the back of the lower kitchen cabinets. I have no clue what bugs are out in the desert but any one of them that eats boric acid is done. 

Good luck!

’You know it’s hard out here for a Host’

Thank you so much for your thoughtful response! 

 

Thomas