Stink bugs are becoming a huge issue throughout America. They’re killing crops and invading homes and releasing their ‘stink,’. If you’re suffering from a stink bug infestation, this homemade stick bug spray costs next to nothing to make, it’s safe, and it kills stink bugs quickly around the home.
Homemade Stink Bug Spray
You can make this very effective homemade vinegar and dish soap stink bug spray out of things that you already have at home, so there’s no added cost. You can even wash out and reuse an old spray cleaner bottle rather than buying a new spray bottle.
Homemade Stink Bug Spray Recipe
- Pour ½ cup of vinegar and a ¼ cup of dish soap into a spray bottle.
- Add 1 full cup of hot water.
- Shake the mixture together.
How To Use
- Simply find your target stink bugs and spray on them directly.
- It should kill them very quickly.
- Once the stink bugs are dead, you should be able to scoop them up with a dustpan.
Homemade Stink Bug Spray – Pros
- This homemade spray leaves the stink bugs intact. This means that the horrible odour won’t be released by crushing, so you can kill off the problem without the added stench.
- It costs nothing. You’ll already have the simple ingredients and an old spray bottle in your home.
- Because you’re using non-abrasive products, your furniture won’t be affected, and the lack of pesticide treatment also means that it’s completely safe for your pets or young children.
Homemade Stink Bug Spray – Cons
- The homemade stink bug spray is incredibly effective, but it can leave an after the smell of vinegar. You’ll just need to clean off where you’ve sprayed with regular cleaning spray afterwards to remove the smell.
- The spray kills the bugs in no time, but you will have a little clean-up to do afterwards. Otherwise, you’ll just end up with a pile of dead bugs all over your floor – not a great look.
What Else Can You Try?
Homemade Stink Bug Traps
There are several cheap to make homemade stink bug traps that work. Some use light to draw the bugs into a container that they can’t escape from. This can easily be done using an LED light at the bottom of an old soda bottle, with the top of the bottle adapted to act as a one-way funnel. The bugs go in because they want to get to the light but they get trapped and can’t get back out again. Check out our DIY stink bug trap tutorial post that details how to make one of these LED light/bottle traps’. We have also now published a second post/tutorial about an even simpler homemade stink bug trap. This trap was found to be 14 times more effective than expensive store-bought traps!
Whilst stink bug traps work well if you put the traps in the specific entry places that you know the bugs hang out, they won’t capture all of them. To target your whole home and the egg-laying spots, it’d be a great idea to combine several stink bug traps together with this cheap homemade stink bug spray.
Other Ways to Prevent a Stink Bug Infestation
- Homemade Stink Bug Peppermint Spray – Stink bugs hate the smell of peppermint. Create a solution using 1 part peppermint essential oil to 4 parts clean water and spray around your home. It would be best if you focused on window ledges, doors, and the outer walls of your home to keep them at bay.
- Seal the Cracks – Stink bugs are opportunists, so make sure you don’t have any gaping holes in your walls that just invite them in. It’s easy to seal up wall cracks with caulking.
- Window Screens – Ensure you always close your window screens and repair any holes in them right away.
- Stink Bug Insecticide – You’ll notice the number of bugs increases around fall as they’re looking for somewhere a little warmer to lay their eggs, and that place often just happens to be your kitchen. Using bifenthrin insecticidal spray will kill stink bugs, but please consider that this insecticide is a strong chemical that many people feel should be banned for domestic use. Do you want to be spraying this around your home?
NOTE: If you are interested in finding out how to get rid of stink bugs from your backyard and garden, check out this post which covers several homemade stink bug sprays for outdoor use.
Summary
It’s really important to focus your energy, not just on killing the stink bugs, but also on preventing future infestations. You’ll need to consider ongoing treatment for your home to ensure that the bugs don’t keep coming back. Seal up holes, spray your property regularly with the homemade peppermint stink bug spray repellant, and attack and stink bugs that do get in with the homemade stink bug spray and several of the homemade stink bug traps.
