How to get rid of stink bugs in homes with window air conditioning units

Stink bugs are known for their persistence when it comes to trying to get into your home during the fall months.

1. Stink bugs want to get into your home during the winter.

Have you noticed that the peak season for stink bug infestation problems in domestic homes in North America is during early fall? This is not a mere chance or coincidence. Stink bugs are no different than any other insect or animal that instinctively seeks to escape the harshness of winter, either by hibernating or migrating south. What distinguishes stink bugs from other insects is their persistence when it comes to seeking shelter in warm places during the fall and winter. While it is very rare to find insects lurking in your home during the winter months, stink insects are a notable exception.

2. They will look for any means to enter the house.

If a stink bug cannot seek shelter in a warm home during the winter months, it will inevitably hibernate. But during the fall months of September and October, you will find that these little critters are among the most persistent when it comes to trying to get into your home during winter. Wherever they can find any type of opening in your house, they will somehow manage to make their way inside, where it is hot. This opening could be a crack in your home’s foundation, your clothes dryer exhaust pipes, your stove’s exhaust vents, your chimney, gaps in window sills, broken window screens. windows or any other cracks they can find. Suffice it to say that if there is a way into your home, a determined stink bug will find a way. This is your mission in life during the fall months.

3. The window air conditioning unit is one of the most vulnerable parts of the house.

Among the many different ways that stink bugs can enter your home, the window air conditioning unit is one of the most vulnerable. After all, it is a real opening to your home. Designed to allow air to enter your home from the outside, it is an open invitation for these insects to crawl directly. Of course, this is a common problem with any opening in your home, be it a central air conditioning unit or any other exhaust coming out of your house. Stink bugs can get through them too. The main difference is that the distance between the outside world and the inside of your home is very small, and it is a relatively short distance for a stink bug to walk around before it finally emerges into your home. If you don’t take the necessary precautions and safeguards to seal your window air conditioning unit and make it completely airtight and impenetrable except for the flow of air molecules, this unit becomes an open invitation for stink bugs to make their way. to your house.

4. Problems with window air conditioning units.

Because air conditioning units are units that are installed in an opening that is cut into the wall, you need to take into account the fact that even the smallest spaces between the unit and the wall can be large enough that stink bugs get away. And don’t believe it, stink bugs can and will find a way to get through this unit, once they are able to detect the presence of heat emanating from that unit. Stink bugs are known to penetrate homes and make their way inside, and they are equally notorious for their persistence in doing so.

5. How to protect your window air conditioning units.

While most professionally installed air conditioning units are designed to precisely fit the exterior wall opening, it is inevitable that you will sometimes end up with a unit that does not fit perfectly, even by a few millimeters. This applies to both new installations and replacements, as well as existing units that have been in your window for a long time. Here are some tips on how you can protect your window air conditioning units to prevent stink bugs from making their way into your home:

i) Use masking tape.

Duct tape is an extremely effective way to seal any gap between your window air conditioning unit and the wall. Provides a strong, impenetrable barrier. Additionally, it is adhesive so it is highly unlikely to come apart, plus it can trap any stink bugs that come in contact with the sticky surfaces, thwarting their attempts to enter your home.

ii) Spray the window with dish soap.

This may seem like an odd solution, but the fact remains that liquid dish soap has been shown to be lethal to stink bugs and acts as an excellent deterrent against them. When spraying the outside of your window with dish soap, this should be enough to drive them away. Of course, if it’s not practical to spray the window with dish soap yourself, then you may want your window (as well as the rest of your home) to be professionally pressure washed.

iii) Caulk the window.

If you have gaps on the windowsill or in the areas between where the window meets the window frame, you may want to fill them with caulk. Once the caulk dries, this will form a solid, impenetrable waterproof barrier that stink bugs won’t be able to get through. Also, if a stink bug has managed to enter your home through these cracks and is hiding within the walls, this will take care of removing it. By sealing the openings with caulk, this will trap, suffocate, and remove any stink bugs that may be hiding within your walls so that they cannot come back out and lurk inside your home.

6. Cover your air conditioning unit.

One thing you can do is permanently enclose your air conditioning unit with a cover that has gaps that are too narrow for insects to pass through, but large enough for air molecules to pass through. This case would be something like a cage.

Another way to cover your air conditioner would be to wrap it completely inside a cover when not in use, particularly during the winter months.

It’s also an option to completely remove window air conditioning units during the winter months, as long as you can cover the wall space completely, caulk the edges, and make sure it’s airtight.

Window air conditioning is a must during the summer months in homes that do not have central air conditioning. Unfortunately, the luxury and convenience of air conditioning comes at a price … the tradeoff is in the amount of effort you go into making sure your unit doesn’t leave your home vulnerable to a stink bug infestation.