If you’ve got stink bugs or Asian lady beetles in your Asheville home, vacuum them up instead of squashing them, and use a bagged vacuum or a sealed zip bag for stink bugs so the smell doesn’t stick around. Then work on the gaps they’re using to get into your living space. And it’s not too late to do any of this. The bugs already inside will keep turning up for a while, and what you do now makes a real difference to how many you see next fall.
What should I do about stink bugs and ladybugs on my windows?
There’s a window in the back bedroom with a dozen of them on the glass and a few more along the sill, and you’re reaching for a tissue to scoop them up. That’s the moment to stop. As we cover in our guide to telling a ladybug from an Asian lady beetle, crushing either one leaves you with a stain or a smell you didn’t need.
Handling them the right way isn’t complicated. Most of it takes a vacuum, a few zip bags, and a little caulk for the gaps inside.
If you’d rather get a few answers before you start, the Pisgah Pest Control team is just a phone call away.
Is it too late to do anything about stink bugs and ladybugs?
No, and there are three good reasons why.
First, the ones already inside aren’t going anywhere for a while. They’re tucked into wall voids and attics, and they’ll keep wandering out onto windows and light fixtures whenever a warm day wakes them up.
Second, more can still show up. Mountain weather around Asheville can swing from a cold snap to a sunny afternoon within the same week, and each of those swings can bring another round to your walls. Our guide to why stink bugs and ladybugs get into Asheville homes explains how that pattern works.
Third, what you do now sets you up for next year. The bugs you’re seeing today are showing you exactly where your house has gaps, and that’s just what you’ll want to know when it’s time to seal the outside.
What’s the best way to get rid of stink bugs and ladybugs indoors?
A vacuum does most of the work, but the details are a little different for each bug.
How do you get rid of stink bugs without the smell?
Stink bugs are the ones to be careful with. Crush one, or run it through a bagless vacuum, and the smell can hang around in the canister and filter long after the bug is gone. Use a vacuum with a bag instead, and when you’re done, take the bag out, seal it in a trash bag, and put it in your outdoor trash can rather than tipping them out in the yard where they can find their way back in.
If it’s only a few, a zip bag works just as well. Ease the bug into the bag with a piece of paper or the edge of the bag itself, seal it, and toss it in the outside trash.
How do you get rid of Asian lady beetles without staining the walls?
With Asian lady beetles, the thing to avoid is wiping or pressing them against a surface. That’s what leaves the yellow stain. Vacuum them straight off the wall, window, or trim, and empty the vacuum promptly, since they can crawl back out if they’re left in there for long.
Where should you check around the house?
Once you start looking, you’ll notice they collect in the same few places:
- Windows and sills, especially on the sunny side of the house.
- Light fixtures and ceiling lights, where they’re drawn to the warmth.
- Curtain rods and the tops of window frames, which are easy to miss from below.
- Attic stairs and access hatches, where the ones in the attic slip through.
A quick pass with the vacuum through those spots every few days keeps things manageable through the cold months.
How do you keep stink bugs and ladybugs from getting back in?
Hold off on sealing the outside for now. With bugs already in the walls, closing those gaps can leave them only one way out, into your rooms. The outside is a late summer job, before the first cold nights. Inside gaps you can seal any time, so that’s the place to start.
You can cut down on how many reach your living space by sealing the gaps between your attic or walls and your rooms. Caulk around light fixtures and ceiling lights, seal gaps around electrical outlets and switch plates on outside walls, and make sure your attic hatch or attic stairs close snugly. Those are the routes they use to wander into the house on a warm day.
For the outside, make a note now of every gap you see them gathering around, so you know exactly what to seal come late summer. In older homes around Asheville, Arden, and Black Mountain, decades of settling and weather mean trim pulls away, caulk dries out, and siding shifts a little. The usual spots to check are:
- Window and door frames, where old caulk has cracked or pulled loose.
- Siding and trim, especially where boards meet at corners or where wood and stone meet on the outside of the house.
- Utility lines, where pipes, cables, and AC lines come through the wall.
- Vents, soffits, and attic vents, which should have intact screening.
- Window screens, where a small tear is all it takes.
A lot of these are the same gaps rodents use, which we cover in our guide to how mice and rats get into Asheville homes. Sealing a gap a mouse could squeeze through will shut out stink bugs too, and the openings these bugs use are a lot smaller still, so it pays to be thorough when late summer comes.
When does it make sense to bring in a professional?
If you’re finding a handful on the windows now and then, that’s a vacuum job, and the steps above will go a long way. Where it starts to make sense to get some help is when it keeps happening. If your house fills up with them every fall, or you’re vacuuming every few days all winter long, that tells you the house is set up in a way that keeps inviting them back, and that’s hard to solve one season at a time.
That’s where ongoing protection earns its keep. Vacuuming and sealing take care of the bugs in front of you. A plan like HomeSafe Premium is built for the pattern, with year round coverage for common household pests, ladybugs and stink bugs included, so you’re not starting from scratch every season.
Stink bugs and ladybugs are part of life around Asheville, but they don’t have to take over your windows every year. Handle the ones inside the right way, seal the gaps you can now, save the outside for late summer, and the next round has a lot less to work with.
If you’d like a hand working out what your house needs, reach out to the Pisgah team anytime. You can also find out more about how we handle stink bugs and ladybugs or see our pest control services for Asheville homes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Use a vacuum with a bag, or ease them into a zip bag and seal it, then put the bag in your outdoor trash. Avoid crushing them or using a bagless vacuum, since both release the smell.
Yes, and it’s the best way to handle them. Vacuum them straight off the surface rather than wiping them, and empty the vacuum promptly so they can’t crawl back out.
Inside, seal around light fixtures, outlets on outside walls, and your attic hatch. Outside, the main spots are window and door frames, gaps in siding and trim, utility line openings, vents, and window screens, but save that work for late summer, before the first cold nights.
They often do. The same gaps that let them in this fall will let them in next fall unless they’re sealed.
We wouldn’t recommend it. Most of the bugs are hidden in wall voids and attics where a spray won’t reach, so you’d only be dealing with the few you can see. Vacuuming and sealing do far more good.