Stink Bugs, Cluster Flies & Lady Beetles: Why They’re Trying to Get Into Poughkeepsie Homes Right Now

On a fall afternoon, you may notice dozens of insects gathered on the sunny side of your Poughkeepsie home, crawling around window frames and along the siding. Stink bugs, cluster flies, and lady beetles all show up this time of year for the same reason: they are looking for a protected place to spend the winter, and the walls, attic, and window frames of a house give them one. Hollenbeck Pest Control helps homeowners with pest control in Poughkeepsie, and fall is when we hear from people who want to know why these insects suddenly appeared and how to keep them out.

Why October Is When They Show Up

All three of these insects survive the winter as adults in an inactive state. Outdoors, they shelter under loose bark, in rock crevices, or under leaf litter. A house offers the same kind of protected space inside wall voids, attics, soffits, and the narrow gaps behind siding and window trim.

Shorter days and cooler nights in early fall signal these insects to start searching for shelter. They are drawn to warm, sunlit surfaces, so they tend to gather on south- and west-facing walls. On a warm afternoon after a cold night, large numbers may land on the same wall at once. From there, they crawl into any small opening they can find.

Poughkeepsie has many older homes, and older construction often has more gaps around window frames, trim, and siding. The orchards, farms, and wooded areas of the surrounding Hudson Valley also give these insects plenty to feed on through the summer, so there are large numbers of them nearby when fall arrives.

Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs

The brown marmorated stink bug is a shield-shaped insect about five-eighths of an inch long. It has a mottled brown back and light bands on its antennae and along the edges of its body. It was introduced to the United States from Asia and is now established throughout the Hudson Valley, where it feeds on fruit, vegetables, and ornamental plants during the summer.

Stink bugs do not bite, and they do not feed or reproduce inside your home. Their main problem indoors is their numbers and their odor. When a stink bug is crushed or disturbed, it releases a strong, unpleasant smell. Homeowners usually find them around windows, on curtains, and near light fixtures.

Cluster Flies

Cluster flies look similar to house flies but are slightly larger and slower. They have short golden hairs on the middle section of their bodies, and their wings overlap on their backs when they are at rest. Their larvae develop inside earthworms in the soil, so homes surrounded by lawns, fields, or pastures often see more of them.

In the fall, adult cluster flies gather on sunny exterior walls and work their way into attics and the upper parts of a house. They usually appear on the top floor or in the attic, buzzing slowly against windows. Cluster flies cannot breed inside your home because their young need earthworms to develop. The flies you see in your house entered it from outside.

Multicolored Asian Lady Beetles

The multicolored Asian lady beetle ranges in color from yellow to orange to red, and the number of spots on its back varies. You can usually tell it apart from native lady beetles by the black mark shaped like the letter M or W on the white area just behind its head.

These beetles gather on light-colored, sunlit surfaces, often in large groups. Unlike stink bugs, they can pinch exposed skin. When disturbed, they release a yellowish fluid with a bitter odor that can stain walls, curtains, and fabric.

What Happens After They Get Inside

Once these insects are inside wall voids and attics, they stay quiet through most of the cold weather. On warm winter days, or when heat from the house warms the walls around them, some of them become active again. They follow the warmth and light toward the living space, which is why homeowners often find them on windows, ceilings, and light fixtures in January and February. Those insects entered the house in the fall.

Getting rid of them at that point is difficult. Vacuuming removes the insects you can see, but it does nothing about the ones still hidden inside the walls. Household sprays reach only the insects in the open. When large numbers die inside wall voids, their remains can attract carpet beetles and other insects that feed on dead insects.

Each of these three insects tends to collect in different parts of a house, and the right treatment depends on what is actually there. Our technicians identify the insects involved before recommending a plan. Hollenbeck Pest Control also has a Board Certified Entomologist on staff when an identification needs a closer look.

Timing Treatment Before They Get In

The most effective time to address these insects is in the fall, while they are still gathered on the outside of the house. Our stink bug control service and our seasonal fall invader treatment focus on the exterior surfaces where these insects collect and on the gaps they use to get inside. Our technicians also point out openings around windows, siding, soffits, and utility lines that should be sealed.

If these insects are still gathering on your walls, many of them are still outside, and treatment can reduce how many make it into the structure. The longer they have to find gaps, the more of them will be inside the walls by the time winter arrives.

Stink bugs, cluster flies, and lady beetles on the walls of a Poughkeepsie home in October are a sign that some may already be finding their way in. Contact our team while they are still gathered outside, and we will identify what you are seeing and recommend a treatment plan.