Warning: A ‘Robust' Explosion Of Stink Bugs Could Be Headed Your Way

People are spending more time indoors as temperatures get colder, and insects are doing the same. Among them is the brown marmorated stink bug, which is expected to invade homes in "robust" numbers this autumn, Penn Live reports.

A new study from Penn State Extension entomologist Greg Krawczyk predicts that 2020's stink bug season will be a nasty one. The year's mild winter combined with a hotter-than-average summer has resulted in two new generations of stink bugs instead of one. Stink bug monitoring traps placed around commercial orchards reflect the increase in numbers.

Though stink bugs generally keep to themselves during the summer months, during the fall they'll be hard to ignore. As soon as temperatures drop—usually in late September—stink bugs find their way indoors. The brown marmorated stink bug is originally from East Asia, but they've been present in the U.S. since the 1990s. Today the insect species can be found in 43 states, though the spots that will see the worst of this year's invasion are located in the Mid-Atlantic.

If you wake up one day this season to find your walls covered in stink bugs, don't be alarmed. The bugs are bothersome, but they don't bite, and they're not harmful to humans. As their name suggest, the worst thing about them is their odor, which they only release when threatened (or squashed). Instead of treating the bugs like normal pests, try vacuuming them up or luring and trapping them with trays of soapy water to get rid of them without stinking up your home.