Stink Bug Control in Shelton, CT

Every September, a crowd of insects starts looking for somewhere warm to spend the winter, and a lot of Shelton houses fit the bill nicely. Brown marmorated stink bugs and cluster flies collect on the sunny south and west sides of the house, then work their way in around windows, soffits and attic vents.

They don't bite, and they don't breed indoors over the winter. They're a nuisance all the same. Stink bugs smell when you crush them, and cluster flies buzz at the attic windows on every mild day from December on. Old houses with loose window frames and gaps in the clapboard get the most, like the centuries-old homes around Huntington Green, but plenty of newer houses get their share.

Timing is most of the battle with fall invaders. Once they're inside the walls, there isn't much anyone can do until spring.

Watch the south wall on a sunny September afternoon

Walk around the outside of the house on a warm afternoon in early September and watch where the bugs land and crawl. That shows you the gaps better than any inspection. Shield-shaped brown bugs on the siding, sluggish flies gathering at the upstairs windows and the occasional sharp smell when one gets stepped on are all the warning you'll get.

A tech can treat the outside walls in late summer and early fall, before the bugs find their way in, focusing on the sunny walls, the window and door trim, the soffits and the roofline. Sealing does the rest. Gaps around old window trim sometimes sit over soft, damp wood, and if you find frass or big black ants there, ask about carpenter ant treatment too.

• Screens on attic and soffit vents
• Caulk around window and door trim
• Sealing where siding meets the foundation and around cable and AC lines
• New window screens and door sweeps where the old ones are worn

Cluster flies and the old attic

Cluster flies lay their eggs in lawns, where the young feed on earthworms. The adults then head for high, warm spots, which in an old house means the attic and the upstairs rooms. Loose attic windows, gaps at the eaves and unscreened vents make it easy. On a sunny January afternoon the attic warms up, they wake, and they buzz at the glass.

Once they're inside, spraying the living room does little. Vacuum the ones that wander out and empty the canister outside right away, and don't crush stink bugs on curtains, since the smell lingers. A simple light trap in the attic catches a fair number of cluster flies over the winter. Then plan an outdoor treatment for next fall. The price depends on the size of the house, how many stories it has, how much sealing it needs and whether the attic is easy to get into. The same gaps let mice in, so many homeowners add mouse exclusion before the first frost or roll everything into one general plan.

To speak with someone about your home, telephone (203) 953-7616.

Spotted lanternflies on the deck rail

Spotted lanternflies are newer to Connecticut, and state agencies have tracked their spread in recent years. They feed on trees, mostly tree of heaven, and gather on siding, decks and grapevines in late summer. They're a threat to trees and orchards rather than to people or houses. State experts suggest squashing them and removing tree of heaven where you can, and the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station takes sighting reports online. If they're crowding a tree by the house, a tech can talk through what makes sense for a home yard.

Not every winged bug by the house is a fall invader. A swarm near the basement in April or May is a different story, and our guide to spring swarmers helps sort it out. Hillside homes in Seymour with sunny south walls and shoreline capes in Stratford, where salt air wears down screens, both see big fall crowds.

Related: General Pest Control, Mouse and Rat Control, Ant Control

Serving Downtown Shelton, Huntington, White Hills, Derby, Ansonia, Seymour, Monroe, Trumbull, Stratford, Oxford.