Stink Bugs Dormant Now But Next Year Could Be Worse

But experts say next year could be even worse, not only for homes but for crops too.

Chunk Ingels is with the UC Davis Cooperative Extension. He's part of a group of researchers from across the country meeting next month.

On Capital Public Radio's Insight with Beth Ruyak today, Ingels said the topic will be strategies for dealing with the pest.

"So that once we do start getting them on our farms here then I'll have some idea and other entomologists will have other ideas on how to control them. They have piercing, sucking mouth parts which means they pierce into the fruit and then suck out the juice from the fruit."

This was the first year that a reproducing population of the "brown marmorated stink bug" was found outside of Los Angeles County. Downtown and Midtown Sacramento were especially hit hard.

Ingels says the bugs likely arrived by hitching rides in vehicles and warns that they could be hibernating in your house.

"They'll try to come in and stay over winter in sheltered areas including attics, garages, homes."

Ingels says the best way to keep them out of your home is to seal off any potential entry points, especially around windows.

If crushed, the bugs give off a scent reminiscent of cilantro.