Stinkbugs are gross and you, my friend, are astoundingly creative in your methods of eradication. I'm glad you soaked the vacuum bag; once these buggers get into the house, it is Very Bad. Also glad you've pushed ahead on the novel.
There's a post script Karen. After I'd written the post, I went outside to enjoy my bug-free citrus trees. There, on a lime tree leaf out of reach, was a pair of copulating stink bugs. I got the rubber gloves, ladder and bucket of hot water and dispatched them both. But then, on the highest leaf, I could just see the red antennae of another black one. I climbed as high on the ladder as my 78 year old body dared, but couldn't reach it. It was clearly disturbed, however, and as I watched, it rather grandly unfurled its wings, tested the air, and then launched itself into the air (possibly for the first time in its life). I could hear the buzz of its wings. It wove an uncertain path for the first couple of metres, and then more confidently struck a course directly towards my neighbour's lemon tree. My feelings, as they've been during the whole of this saga, were mixed.
Stinkbugs are gross and you, my friend, are astoundingly creative in your methods of eradication. I'm glad you soaked the vacuum bag; once these buggers get into the house, it is Very Bad. Also glad you've pushed ahead on the novel.
There's a post script Karen. After I'd written the post, I went outside to enjoy my bug-free citrus trees. There, on a lime tree leaf out of reach, was a pair of copulating stink bugs. I got the rubber gloves, ladder and bucket of hot water and dispatched them both. But then, on the highest leaf, I could just see the red antennae of another black one. I climbed as high on the ladder as my 78 year old body dared, but couldn't reach it. It was clearly disturbed, however, and as I watched, it rather grandly unfurled its wings, tested the air, and then launched itself into the air (possibly for the first time in its life). I could hear the buzz of its wings. It wove an uncertain path for the first couple of metres, and then more confidently struck a course directly towards my neighbour's lemon tree. My feelings, as they've been during the whole of this saga, were mixed.
Haha. I hope you felt relief that you and your 78 year body dispatched the stupid bug. Your neighbor never needs to know….