Are Stink Bugs Poisonous, Dangerous Or Harmful To Humans And Pets? (2024)

There are lots of different kinds of stink bugs present in North America, from plant-feeding stink bugs that can be annoying in gardens, to predatory ones that eat many different garden pests. Plant-feeding stink bugs can cause damage to garden crops and fruit on trees and bushes, but rarely cause serious problems in home gardens.

Predatory stink bugs are actually a great benefit to homeowners because they eat so many different kinds of pests, from armyworms to potato and bean beetles. This is why it’s so important to identify your stink bugs properly before making any control decisions, even if your pets are finding them to be delicious. You might just create a huge problem for yourself by eliminating your friendly neighborhood garden patrol.

Where Do Stink Bugs Come From?

Although there are over 200 species of stink bugs in North America, they are native to Asia and were accidentally introduced to the United States in the late 1900s. Since they do not have any natural predators and can rapidly spread, stink bugs have become established in many areas of the country. For instance, the Brown Marmorated stink bug (BMSB) (Halyomorpha halys) is native to China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. They were discovered in eastern Pennsylvania in 1998 and have quickly become one of North America’s most problematic stink bugs, with a presence in 41 states.

Although some people have the preconceived notion that stink bugs are “poisonous,” the invasive bugs are typically only harmful to your gardens and other pests, like armyworms, potato and bean beetles. If, by chance, you are allergic to the fluid stink bugs produce when defending themselves, you may show common signs of allergies and dermatological symptoms. However, if you are exposed to a stink bug’s defensive compound, it is recommended to remove the ill-smelling substance by washing the affected skin with soap and water.

Can Stink Bugs Bite or Sting You?

With a name like “stink bug,” you may assume that they are more harmful than they are. Fortunately, most stink bugs do not bite, sting or spread disease. The most harm most stink bugs cause is the ill-smelling substance they release as a defense tactic or if accidentally crushed. That said, there are some species of stink bugs that do occasionally bite. While these bites are usually harmless to humans, certain individuals may have an allergic reaction to the bite, resulting in symptoms like redness, swelling and itching.

When a dog or a cat decides to investigate a stink bug, they almost always will end up in their mouths eventually. That’s the bad news about owning a pet. Everything ends up getting tasted. When that thing being consumed is a stink bug, it may look really awful because stink bugs taste very bitter.

Animals tend to froth at the mouth, or throw up, when they eat stink bugs because of the bitter compounds found within the insect and those that the insect extrudes to try to protect itself. The good news is that if your pet has a good memory, they won’t try to eat another one.

Don’t worry if your pet eats a stink bug, they’re not poisonous or dangerous in any way. They may make your pet sick to their stomach, or cause diarrhea in severe cases, but unless your pet has an unknown allergy to stink bugs, there’s nothing further to concern yourself with. They’ll just have to digest it and let the situation pass, as it were.

If your pet shows any signs of swelling or breathlessness, that’s a different story, and could be a sign of an allergy. Call your veterinarian and describe the symptoms in detail, as well as what the pet was doing when they started. If your pet has a rare stink bug allergy, they may require veterinary care, but this is a very, very unusual situation.

Stink bugs are readily identifiable, with their shield-shaped bodies, long antennae and long jointed limbs. Once you’ve seen one, the entire family is obvious on sight. The trickier part is distinguishing friend from foe, which can help you decide what to do next.

One of the most problematic stink bugs in North America is the Brown Marmorated stink bug (BMSB) (Halyomorpha halys). It’s an invasive species that has a nasty habit of overwintering in and near homes, creating a very stinky situation should you attempt to evict them. It’s never one or two with the BMSB, it’s one and hundreds or thousands of his best friends.

The BMSB is, of course, brown, and about ⅔-inch long. If you find them in large groups in your attic or wall voids, this is all you’ll need to make a solid identification, but on the off chance you find a straggler, look for two lighter bands on each of the antennae and darker bands on the tips of the front set of wings. They also have copper or blue metallic depressions on their heads and shoulders and white bands on the edge of their abdomens.

Like many other pests, stink bugs are looking for a warm place to live for the winter and a food source. So, if you find some in your home, it is not as large a problem as roaches or bed bugs, but you’ll undoubtedly want to get rid of your unwanted guests. There are several tactics you can use to eradicate stink bugs, such as:

• Remove Light Sources:Stink bugs are attracted to light. Start by turning off any outside lights at dusk and leaving them off overnight.
• Eliminate Entry Points:Walk the perimeter of your home and inspect for cracks in your foundation or replace broken or damaged windows or screens to ensure the stink bugs do not have any entry points into your home.
• Avoid Leaving Food Laying Out:If you notice a few stink bugs, practice keeping any food items stored in a refrigerator or tightly sealed container.
• Check Items Coming Inside From Storage:Inspect all items stored in bins before bringing them into your home.
• Install Screens Over Outside Vents:Install fine-mesh screens over any outside vents.
• Use Essential Oils:To treat or prevent stink bug issues, mix 10 to 20 drops of essential oil into a cup of water, add the mixture to a spray bottle and treat all windowsills and doorways.

If you’ve determined what kind of stink bugs are bugging you and your pet, and they’re not the sort that are actually helping you out, you may want to try to keep them away from your animals in the future. It’s impossible to eliminate all insects in an outdoor setting, but by making it harder for them to earn a living, you certainly can deter them.

If you keep a garden, this can be a huge draw for BMSB, but using row covers can help keep them both out of your produce and out of your yard. Without anything to eat, they’ll find somewhere else to be and someone else to annoy. Row covers can be a challenge during fruit set, however, because pollinators will be equally excluded from your crops, so you’ll need to either carefully time your placements or hand pollinate.

Traps are available for stink bugs with lures that will help you determine how many are active in your area. These aren’t really useful for destroying large populations, and can draw more stink bugs into an area where they haven’t been, so you’ll have to be very judicious about their use. Replace the lure regularly and you’ll have a good idea of how many are within luring distance. If you don’t catch many, your problem is likely just an occasional stink bug.

When it comes to stink bugs in the house, your best bet is to exclude them aggressively. Pets can easily find and catch stink bugs that have been hibernating inside and are suddenly active in the springtime, or that have popped out of hibernation on a sunny winter day.

Make sure that all screens, doors and windows fit tightly, that your home is properly weatherized and that any cracks between the attic and living space are sealed with caulk or expanding foam. You can also build a stink bug trap indoors by placing a roasting pan filled with water (with just a few drops of dish soap) near where they’ve been seen. Darken the room and point a light into the pan to draw them to their doom. Clean the water pan each day until you no longer see stink bugs collect.