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Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Control in Columbus, OH

Finding the attic and upper-floor entries these stink bugs use, removing those inside by vacuum, and sealing the gaps before the next season.

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Stink Bugs

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Control: what it covers

Quick answer

An OSU Extension fact sheet, as reported locally, says brown marmorated stink bugs are most often found in attics and upper stories rather than basements. They are harmless to people and pets but give off an odour when disturbed. In Columbus, control means finding the upper-floor entries, sealing them and removing the bugs by vacuum.

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Control illustration for Columbus, OH, with rolling hills and the Columbus water tower in the background

Brown marmorated stink bugs have a reputation that outruns their threat. The OSU fact sheet describes them as harmless to people and pets, but as producing an odour when they are disturbed. That makes them a nuisance inside a home, most often in the attic and on the upper floors, where they gather in the warm months and the cold ones.

The OSU fact sheet was reported in local news and was not read in full for this site, so this page uses only what the reporting gives: attics and upper stories, harmless to people and pets, and an odour when disturbed. It does not give a count or a seasonal peak for Columbus.

Service area
Columbus & Franklin County
Availability
Phone answered 24/7
Warning signs

Signs you need brown marmorated stink bug control

Work in an attic only when the boards are safe to walk on, and keep to the joists. Wear a mask and gloves when vacuuming, and do not handle the bugs with bare hands. Use a ladder on firm ground with someone nearby, and do not climb onto a roof for the outside check. Keep pets out of the attic while the work is done.

  • Stink bugs on upstairs windows or the inside of an attic window in the warm months
  • Bugs found in an attic or a closet on an upper floor, often in clusters
  • A pungent odour in a room when a bug is crushed or disturbed
  • Bugs on the outside of the house near an eave, a gable or a roof vent
  • Insects in a light fixture or a ceiling corner on an upper floor
  • Activity that is more visible in autumn, when the bugs look for a place to overwinter
Our process

How our brown marmorated stink bug control visit works

  1. Check the attic and upper floors first

    The technician starts where OSU and the reporting place the insects: the attic, the upper-floor windows and the rooms under the roof. The number and the location of the bugs are recorded.

  2. Find the entry points at the roof line

    Gaps at the eave, the gable vents, the soffit and the roof penetrations are checked from the outside, and from the attic with a light.

  3. Remove the bugs by vacuum

    Bugs in the attic and the rooms are vacuumed, and the bag is sealed and removed from the house, because the odour is released when they are crushed.

  4. Seal the gaps

    The entry points at the roof line are sealed with a material suited to the surface, and screens are fitted on the vents where they are missing or torn.

  5. Check the next season

    A check in the autumn looks for new bugs and for gaps that have opened, and the sealing list is updated for the following year.

Why do stink bugs gather in attics and upper floors?

The reporting on the OSU fact sheet says they are most often found in attics and upper stories rather than basements. Warm, sheltered spaces under a roof are where the bugs settle, and they look for the same spots in the cold months.

An attic is warm in the autumn sun and sheltered from the weather, which makes it a suitable place for an insect to spend the cold months. The bugs come in through the roof line and the eaves, and they gather in the spaces under the roof where the temperature changes slowly.

The upper floors follow the attic. A bug that enters at the top of a house can move down through a wall or a gap, and it is found in the rooms just below the roof. The technician checks those rooms as part of the same visit.

What does the odour mean, and is the bug harmful?

The reporting on the OSU fact sheet says the bugs are harmless to people and pets, but they give off an odour when they are disturbed, crushed or handled. The odour is the main nuisance inside a home.

The odour is a defence the insect releases when it is disturbed. It can cling to fabric and linger in a room, and a homeowner who crushes one may notice it for some time. The bugs do not bite or sting people, and the fact sheet does not describe a health risk from them.

The safe way to remove them is by vacuum, not by crushing. The bag is sealed and removed from the house, and the room is aired. A homeowner should not handle them with bare hands, because the odour and the mess are the main result.

How are the entry points found?

The entry points are found at the roof line, the eaves, the gable vents and the soffit, and from inside the attic with a light. Each gap is recorded by its position on the building.

From outside, the technician checks the eave and the gable for gaps where the roof meets the wall, and the vents for torn or missing screens. The soffit is checked for joints that have opened. A ladder is used with care, and the outside check is done from the ground where the height makes a ladder unsafe.

From inside, the attic is checked with a light. A beam of light visible through a gap at the eave, or a draught moving insulation near a vent, marks a route that the outside check may have missed. The attic is entered only when it is safe to walk on the boards.

What sealing works for these entries?

A fitted screen on a vent, a caulk or foam for a small joint, and a metal cover for a larger opening are the usual methods. The material is chosen to suit the surface and to stand up to weather.

A vent that is missing its screen is the simplest repair, and it is often the most effective. A fine mesh screen keeps the bugs out while allowing the vent to work. A torn screen should be replaced at once, and the replacement noted on the list.

A larger opening at the eave may need a metal cover or a fitted patch. Expanding foam is trimmed and covered where it is exposed to sun, because foam breaks down under ultraviolet light and can open the gap again.

When should the work be done?

The sealing is best finished before the autumn, when the bugs begin to look for overwintering spots. A check in the following autumn looks for any gap that has opened and any new bugs.

A sealing job done in late summer is in place before the bugs look for a place to spend the winter. A visit in the spring can check the vents and screens after the winter, and a note of any damage is added to the list.

The attic should be checked after a heavy storm or a freeze, because those can move the roof boards and open a gap at the eave. The report lists each check and its date, so the next season starts from a known condition.

Options

Types and options for brown marmorated stink bug control

Attic and upper-floor visit

A targeted visit to the attic and the rooms under the roof, with the entry points found and sealed.

Whole-building entry check

A walk of the outside and the inside, covering the entries at every level and the basement, with the sealing list kept.

Autumn check

A short visit before the bugs look for overwintering spots, to check the sealing and clear any new gap.

Franklin County

Why brown marmorated stink bug control is different in Central Ohio

Columbus houses with attics and upper floors are the usual setting for this work. The technician starts at the roof line and works down, rather than starting in the basement as a general visit might.

Homes across Franklin County that have had a roof or an eave repaired may have new joints that need checking, and the attic walk notes them.

The sources do not give a stink bug count or a seasonal peak for Columbus, so the visit is set from the house and the call, not from a published calendar.

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Where we work

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Control across Franklin County

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Related

Attic and Upper-Story Pest Control

An attic-first visit for stink bugs and fall insects, with the roof line, the eaves and the upper rooms checked and sealed in order.

Fall Invader Exclusion and Sealing

Finding and closing the gaps in a building’s outer skin before the cold months, so fall insects have fewer routes and fewer warm spots.

Guides

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FAQ

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Control FAQs

Are these bugs dangerous?

The OSU fact sheet, as reported locally, describes them as harmless to people and pets. They give off an odour when disturbed, which is the main nuisance.

Why are they in the attic and not the basement?

The reporting says they are most often found in attics and upper stories, where they gather in warm, sheltered spaces under the roof.

Can I use a spray in the attic?

Not as a first step. The sealing and the vacuum come first, and a residual is considered only if the bugs keep coming after the gaps are closed. Follow the label if one is used.

Will sealing stop them completely?

Sealing reduces the routes in, which reduces the number that arrive. Bugs that are already inside must be removed, and a few may still find a gap nobody has found yet.

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