Who remembers murder hornets? You know, those nasty little creatures that became supporting players during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and then vanished from the headlines?

What about Brood X cicadas? That was 2021's Insect of the Year. No, there was no such award, but if there had been, I'm pretty sure our voracious little friends would have won it going away. Well, here's the deal, I never saw them. No wait, I take that back. I saw ONE. Exactly ONE. That's hardly what I expected from a 17-year plague, but hey, if that's how 17-year plagues are going to go, that's one less thing to worry about.

KENTUCKY STINK BUG SEASON

So here we are, about to embark on another Kentucky stink bug season which kicks off in September. And last year we saw them EVERYWHERE in the house. I'd look up and there'd be one on the curtain over the kitchen sink or in the living room or on the shower curtain. And I never EVER saw them move. They would just appear. And then go somewhere else.

WHY STINK BUGS STINK

But here's the thing, I accidentally killed a couple of them and they did not stink. But they're SUPPOSED to, so I looked up why:

So aside from the fact that they were popping up in every room and I would gently walk them outside, they never gave us any trouble.

However, I'm in the minority on this matter, and I realize that, so I looked into how best to deal with the oncoming stink bug onslaught. I also wanted to know why, besides the fact that they stink, they are a huge problem. The University of Florida gave me my answer

As a polyphagous pest, the brown marmorated stink bug has the potential to cause damage to several crops, including tree fruit, nuts, vegetables and row crops. During outbreak years the brown marmorated stink bug has caused significant losses to tree fruit producers, damaging apples, peaches and pears.

Clearly, they are a very COSTLY nuisance. And that explanation doesn't surprise me; that's usually the reason why problematic insects are deemed problematic.

If you want to get out ahead of a potential stink bug problem, check out these homemade solutions.

Here are four more steps on how to deal with the little stinkers (nope, couldn't resist) this fall and winter. And I want to point out that the grim announcer has me concerned; while we have seen plenty of stink bugs, we haven't experienced the full bouquet, as it were. I hope this isn't a case of us being "due," if you know what I mean. I will follow his directives very carefully.

I love the fall, but I do understand that it brings with it the possibly of these malodorous little critters AND spiders, which we have way more of than we need out at our place.

I hope this helped and I wish you a happy and FRAGRANT (the good kind) fall season.

7 Invasive Insects in Indiana You Should Kill Immediately If You See Them

In an effort to inform the public on the types of invasive species that are known to be found in their state, the USDA offers a "Pest Tracker" on their website, where you simply click the name of your state from the drop-down menu provided to see pictures of the different insects and weeds, along with descriptions of the type of plant life they target and the damage they can do if they're not dealt with.

Kentucky Creepy-Crawlies -- the Beautiful, the Weird, and the Ugly

I've run across some peculiar insects in Kentucky. Some beautiful, some NOT beautiful. And now I know what they all are.

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