Why do so many stink bugs around my house, they are at everywhere, from gardens to rooms? My pet keep playing around these insects, are stink bugs poisonous to cats? Actually, you are pretty worried about this invasion and do not know how to do. So, is the thing really terrible as you think?
The story of the stink bugs
Listed in the family Pentatomidae, the stink bug has the shield shape characteristic. Generally, an adult stink bug gets the length of 1.7 cm in the large oval form. The name “stink bug” comes with the unique chemical odor which is from its abdomen. And many scientists state that such odor along with considerable good flying capability is like a protective film saving it from predators.
Colors
The look of all stink bugs is not the same. They are different from others in colors so people may be confused to differentiate with other species. For more detailed, the adult bug bears bright colors, often as green and brownish while the immature can be in black or yellowish. During growth, the color change will occur several times.
Seasons and places
As agricultural pests stink bugs are often found in farms, gardens and even residential areas. Normally, summer and spring are seasons of stink bugs.
Their reproduction is mostly at the time with the warming climate. Adult insects will reside under stones, weeds or ground covers waiting till the springtide to be active. In late summer, bugs start searching for warm sides. In the case of cities, they tend to gather on houses’ sides, especially cracks as well as holes. Then, there are ways they get insides.
Stink bugs & cats
Taking a look at your cats regularly, you will see that they love catching happily stink bugs in the house. This case is not a strange thing at all. As a natural predator, cats’ instinct is to hunt mice or sometimes scramble for insects. Then, they may eat preys.
Tons of stink bug species are active all over the world. Pet parents could find it hard to identify many of them. Yet, don’t worry since they are not serious like you still believe. Stink bugs, in general, are just pests which almost damage crops. So, you do not need to get insane with the question “are stink bugs poisonous to cats” anymore.
But, problems are not out of the game
Dr. Daniel Franklin points out that stink bugs are not harmful with cats. However, in case that your feline friends eat these insects, they will suffer some symptom of gastrointestinal upset. The exoskeleton of the bug brushes into digestive tracts. What you can watch for is that your cats keep vomiting. Besides, such exoskeletons which can be stuck in the cat throat when he chews the bug. Consequently, discomforts such as a cough and choke will come with cats.
Unfortunately, there are still special cases. Some types of stink bugs are not harmless like the others. They drive your little friends sick with severe intestinal troubles by bites. Actually, keeping your pets safe from hazardous bugs is not simple. The best thing that you can do is to prevent stink bugs as much as possible, keep them away from your feline friends.
Prevention is better
Although stink bugs have no negative effect on the long-term health condition of cats, it is highly recommended to limit their invasion. Are stink bugs poisonous to cats? They are not. But, prevention is always a good idea.
The environment is the first element needed to mention as an element of attracting stink bugs. And food is the second one. As the information above, bugs will be strongly active in late summer and fall. Their favorite places are juicy plants. If your houses are near orchards including pepper, cucumber and so much more, be careful with risks of stink bug invasion. So, how to prevent them?
Setting outdoor lighting at the lowest level
You can see that there are always lots of insects at spots with the light. And stink bugs are also not out of the trend. Basing on this attraction, you should not use many lights outside the home. If needed, remember to decrease the lightness, especially in the active seasons of stink bugs. When bugs are on the home-sides, there is not any reason which can prevent them from finding ways to inside.
Preventing stink bugs from attracting others
Whenever finding a stink bug around your home space, no matter inside or outside, do not hesitate to crush it. May you think that causing one to disappear makes no sense? However, the smell from this bug is as a thing driving others away. With the purpose of not spreading the awful odor throughout the house, you had better wear gloves or use paper towel as handing the bug.
Spraying insecticide
The best suitable time for your family to take advantage of the insecticide is September or October when stink bugs are active at most. To be honest there is not an ideal method which only should be carried out with strongly annoying stink bug invasion since chemicals are never friendly with the human health.
For choosing insecticide, you can bear the Bifenthrin in mind as the first option. It is a need to follow the direction step by step and then carefully spray it on walls outside the house. Due to the short distance between you and the wall sprayed, do not ignore protective gears. They are goggles, jacket, hat, gloves, and boots. All of them play a rule to protect you from falling insecticide.
Furthermore, there are notes to remember before deciding to use the insecticide. Firstly, even though spraying these substances is not a hard thing, let’s get a professional company to make it unless you are confident. Secondly, not all killing insect product has no negative effect on your house. They may cause the house color to change bad or ruin walls in a very short time after spraying. Hence, it is essential to try with a hidden corner as well as a small crack where stink bugs can approach.
In short
Does it make sense to get a ceaseless effort seeking the answer for “are stink bugs poisonous to cats”? Although such species do not influence negatively your cat’s long-term health condition, they also do not bring any nutrition when your cats are swallowing. So, keep away from them.
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