Can you kill stink bugs with hot water and soap?

Answer 1

No, a soap and water spray does not control stink bugs.

Stink bugs also may be called shield bugs. Specifically, a hardened outer set of wings covers the lighter wings that are used for the bugs' brief, clumsy flights. The homemade soap-and-water spray and the store-bought insecticidal soap may be effective controls of soft-bodied pests, but cannot penetrate the bugs' outer body.

Vacuuming up stink bug bodies and burning or immediately disposing the sealed vacuum bag are among the organic controls inside the house.

Answer 2

No, the soap-and-water spray called insecticidal soap is no control for stink and shield bugs (Pentatomidaefamily).

Insecticidal soap is an organic control that works on soft-bodied insects such as aphids. It particularly is effective against the larval stage of an insect. Another organic control, horticultural oil, is particularly effective against the egg stage.

But stink and shield bugs are hard-bodied insects. Generally, if they are ruining a vegetable, fruit or berry crop, they may need to be controlled by a non-organic treatment plan. The particular product chosen may vary according to the crop or plant in question. But generally, an insecticide such as Sevin, which contains the active ingredient carbaryl, is the one for a gardener or cultivator to choose in a chemical attack.

Answer 3

Yes, stink bugs can be killed with hot water and soap. Dish-washing (not dishwasher) soap and heated water do the equivalent of asphyxiating and drowning the insects in question. The insecticidal soap in question may be either home-made or store-bought.