Tuesday Thoughts About...

...stink bugs! They are so disgusting! 

We never had a problem until about 15 or 20 years ago. In fact, I had never even seen one stink bug the first 15 or 20 years we've lived here. But once they started coming, they have multiplied like crazy. Actually, I say that, but I don't think I've ever seen even one outside. I was certain that they came from a bad load of wood and we literally carried them in the house. 

Once the weather starts getting cold, they come inside. It's awful! I can smell them long before I can see them. Even at night when I'm sleeping. I'll smell one, jump out of bed and turn on the overhead lights. Of course that wakes Butch and he's not too crazy about that. But, I just cannot stand it. I have to track down every single one! I'm a fan of flushing. 

So, in case you are wondering why I'm mentioning this, I have a story! Of course I do!

The other night, we were watching tv. I always have a drink on my table--mostly iced tea. I also use a lid and a straw in case of spills. Anyway, I reached for my drink and started to take a sip. All of a sudden--A STINK BUG WAS IN MY MOUTH!! I guess it was on the straw. I immediately spit it out and started freaking out. It landed on my robe and I was going crazy for Butch to get it!! I cannot tell you how disgusting this was. 

I will say one thing about this, well, actually two.

1. It didn't have a taste--although it couldn't have been in my mouth longer than a second.

2. It didn't smell. Butch was able to get it and flush it right away. My heart raced a good half hour afterwards. I was so jumpy! 

I had to look up how to get rid of them. I learned a lot. 

Stink bugs like the brown marmorated stink bug are native to East Asia and were introduced to the United States by accident, likely via shipping containers in 1998. From their initial point of entry, they have spread across the country and become a nuisance and agricultural pest. They seek shelter in buildings during the winter, which is why they become a problem inside homes. 

Just posting this picture is freaking me out! I further learned that they are a problem

in Pennsylvania, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia. 

Kinda makes me think I need to move back home to Missouri!!

The night I almost "swallowed" a stink bug, I was afraid to go to bed. I read in bed and they are attracted to the light from my Kindle. I made Butch go with me. I usually go in earlier than him to read. I didn't get much sleep that night. I can hear them buzzing, causing me to jump out of bed and hit the overhead lights. I've taken to leaving the tv on all night so they'll be attracted to that light instead of my little one.

I know I am making this sound much worse than it is. I'd say that on average, I find and flush about 3 or 4 a night in my bedroom and another 3 or 4 during the day in other parts of the house. There are always a couple days where there are more. Plus, we'll find plenty of dead ones. This onslaught should end soon. At least I hope so.

It reminds me of when we first moved to Nashville, I was sitting in the "hook-up" line at school. Mindy was an infant and sound asleep in her carseat. All of a sudden, she started screaming. I looked back and a huge locust was in her mouth!! I started freaking out, jumped out of the car and got to her as quickly as I could. I got that gross thing out. Little did I know that we arrived in Nashville in the year of the emergence of the 17 year locusts. Just our luck!

I know I'm sounding like a baby. I'm not really scared of bugs--even spiders don't bother me. But, I am fanatical about "getting" them. I don't want them going off somewhere and having babies! 

You might recall this picture from 2019:

You can read about it here. I thought spiders laid eggs. I'll admit, those tiny spiders were really pretty cute. But I washed them down the drain and ran the garbage disposal without a second thought!

As far as I'm concerned--the only good insects are dead ones! I do not want them in my house! And especially NOT IN MY MOUTH!