Why Stink Bugs Are Crashing Your Home This Fall

Why Stink Bugs Are Crashing Your Home This Fall

As fall temperatures begin to cool, many homeowners start noticing shield-shaped brown bugs gathering on sunny exterior walls, windows, and door frames. These are stink bugs — and fall is their prime season to look for warm places to overwinter.

While they don’t damage homes or bite people, they can become a major household nuisance fast. Their odor, large numbers, and ability to squeeze into tight cracks makes them one of the most frustrating fall invaders in Tennessee.


Why Stink Bugs Swarm Homes in the Fall

Stink bugs are highly sensitive to temperature changes. Once cooler weather arrives, they begin searching for a warmer sheltered spot to survive the winter — and homes are their number one target.

They are especially attracted to:

  • sun-warmed walls (south and west facing)

  • cracks around door frames and windows

  • gaps in siding or foundation

  • attic spaces, wall voids, crawlspaces

Once they make their way inside, they prefer to stay hidden until spring… which means they can be present in large numbers even before you realize they are there.


Why Stink Bugs Are So Nuisance Heavy

  • They emit a strong, unpleasant odor when disturbed or crushed

  • They can enter in large swarms

  • They hide in difficult-to-reach areas of the home

  • They overwinter and reappear again when temperatures warm up

For most homeowners — it’s the smell and repeated seasonal return that makes them so frustrating.


Prevention Steps You Can Take

Because stink bugs rely on small entry points — sealing and prevention in fall makes a huge difference.

Helpful steps include:

  • Add fresh caulk and weather stripping around windows and doors

  • Repair damaged screens

  • Seal gaps around utility lines and siding

  • Reduce outdoor lighting near entry points

  • Keep vegetation trimmed back from the home’s exterior

Vacuuming is also a good way to remove stink bugs indoors without crushing them (which avoids releasing the odor).


Protecting Your Home from Fall Invaders

Stink bugs are just one of several pests that try to move inside as temperatures cool — along with Asian lady beetles, boxelder bugs, cluster flies and others.

That’s why proactive fall pest control makes a huge difference before these insects settle in.


Trust GPM Pest Control for Fall Pest Protection

GPM Pest Control helps homeowners in Chattanooga and surrounding areas stay protected from seasonal fall invaders. Our treatment plans target stink bugs before they overwinter and create long-term nuisance problems inside your home.

If you’re seeing stink bugs gathering outside, or finding them indoors already, now is the time to act — before winter sets in.

Schedule your fall pest inspection and treatment today with GPM Pest Control.


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