Tree Stink Bug swatted in the basement

bugman

November 28th, 2008 at 10:45 am

Tags

Unidentified Flying Bug
Wed, Nov 26, 2008 at 8:50 PM
I never started noticing these bugs before this year. I’ve killed lots of bugs in my family’s house, because I live in our basement. I first started noticing these bugs outside on my car. They were well camouflaged, flat, and every time I saw one I swore it was pentagonal. I have just recently discovered that these flat beetlish things can fly. I just killed two in under five minutes that were flying around the overhead light in our basement. They looked like large moths when they were flying, but when I smacked them down with a flyswatter they were smaller, their underbellies a yellowish-cream color. Their inside fluids smell terrible, like moldy soap scum or dull mothballs.
I’m sorry I’m only giving you a picture of a dead one. They looked greenish outside, but in the picture I discovered they were brown. I just want to know if there’s some kind of infestation going on in my house. Sorry to be so negative, but I once had a bad experience with a spider looking bug laying eggs in my hair and now want to kill all bugs.
The insides were yellow and red, if that helps.
A flustered murderer
Arlington, VA

Brochymena Carnage

Dear Flustered Murderer,
You have swatted a Stink Bug in the genus Brochymena, commonly called Tree Stink Bugs. Stink Bugs and other Hemipterans like the Western Conifer Seed Bug often enter homes for shelter when cool weather sets in. They will not damage your home and they pose no threat to you except for the annoyance they may cause. Brochymena species are predatory on other insects, most notably caterpillars.