Mottled brown, pentagonal beetles around the house
March 31, 2010
A year or so ago, my mother and I started seeing these little guys all around the house, and they’ve been here ever since. They’re about 3/4″ long, and the six legs are jointed to one point underneath the body. They also fly (unexpectedly into one’s face or onto one’s keyboard!) short distances, often smashing into walls or other fixtures, and have an alarming habit of losing their grip on a wall or ceiling and falling onto whomever happens to be standing below.
They don’t appear to be eating any of our clothes or any bits of the house, nor do they bite, sting, or really bother us in any way, but we still want to know if they’re something to worry about. The place is absolutely infested with them.
hako
Northeast Ohio
Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
Dear hako,
This is a Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, not a beetle. Interestingly, the family is Pentatomidae, a reference to the body shape that you described as pentagonal. They often seek shelter indoors as the weather cools, hibernating until the spring warmth arouses them. They will not harm you or your home, or your pets.
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