Stinky seed bug boom bugging residents in Shuswap, Kamloops and Okanagan
Some residents in the province are being inundated with stinky little bugs this fall.
The western seed conifer bugs, often erroneously called “stink bugs” show up every year, but numerous residents are reporting an especially large explosion of them on social media this fall in areas of the Shuswap, Lower Mainland, Kootenays and Okanagan.
“There are huge infestations here,” said Salmon Arm resident and gardener Cindi Quinlan. “We’ve been here 12 years. Seems every few years it happens. They are here every year in smaller numbers, this year was outrageous.”
Western conifer seed bugs are a common species native to America and are reddish-brown to greyish-brown in colour, reaching 15-20 mm in size.
They spray a foul-smelling odour as a defense mechanism and feed on pine cone seeds which gives them a smelly odour so birds and predators don’t eat them.
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“This is a bad year for these guys, I am vacuuming up 500 a day off our deck,” said Kamloops resident Alan Bates. “They hibernate in all the cracks. Yesterday was the worst day yet, we can’t walk onto our deck without getting buzzed at.”
Other than being stinky, the bugs are harmless. As the temperatures drop this time of year homeowners may notice western conifer seed bugs trying to get inside to stay warm for the winter. They can be vacuumed up or squished with a paper towel.
“Our house has south and west exposure so they are drawn to the warming stucco,” Bates said. “In the evening they try to find their way into a crack to spend the night and winter. Once they get into the (soffit), they can get into the attic where they overwinter in the insulation.”
Bates said the bugs have been minimal on his property for the past eight to 10 years, but this is the worst explosion of them he has seen.
"There are thousands of them surrounding every home," said Brent Coleman of Peachland. "They don’t move very fast. Kind of like the sloths of the bug world. They are still swarming, all madly trying to get inside."
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Rick Howie, a biologist and naturalist in Kamloops, said the bugs normally gather at this time of year looking for places to overwinter such as houses or sheds.
“I don’t know if we are seeing a real outbreak or just people seeing them in such numbers,” he said. “There seems to be little in the literature about what could cause outbreaks.”
When asked what could cause larger numbers of the bugs, Howie offered some theories.
“After mild winters, larger than normal adults could have survived, thus making for a larger summer population now looking for sites to overwinter. Lower predation by their normal insect parasites may also have caused higher numbers. Perhaps the cone crops in Douglas Fir and Ponderosa Pine are greater than average which would make for a better food supply.”
Orkin Canada suggests on its website, repairing or replacing any ill-fitted screens, doors and windows will help keep them outside. Sealing gaps around these areas may also stop western conifer seed bugs from invading.
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