Stink bugs: What to do about them

They lurk on door frames, windows, kitchen counters and coffee shop patios. And you see them more as fall temperatures sink.

What are they? Stink bugs. 

The insects are Asian invaders confirmed in Michigan in 2010, which now have been spotted in most of the Lower Peninsula.

Here's what you can do about them: 

• Keep them out. Seal cracks around windows, doors, siding, utility pipes, behind chimneys, and underneath wood fascia with silicone or silicone-latex caulk. Repair damaged screens on doors and windows.
• Look for where they came in. Stink bugs will emerge from cracks under or behind baseboards, around window and door trim, and around exhaust fans or lights in ceilings. Seal these openings with caulk or other materials.
• Use a pesticide outdoors as bugs gather. Using pesticides indoors isn't recommended because it won't prevent more bugs from coming in, and carpet beetles may be attracted to feed on carcasses of dead insects. 
• Suck them up: Use a vacuum to remove live and dead stink bugs from interior areas with the aid of a vacuum cleaner. The downside: This might make your vacuum smell bad.
• Drown them in a bucket or pan partly filled with soapy water.

But a word of advice? Don't squish it. It's going to smell bad.