(Shudder)

They're all over this town.

For several days I've been dealing with a stink bug attack on my house. A lot of people around me have been confronted with colonies of these horrible little shield-shaped bugs too. Just last night I went into a furniture store, and a woman there was exclaiming about them.

They look like little gray-brown shields. At least they don't lay eggs inside, or destroy walls or anything. I don't think they bite, either. They just want to come inside and sleep out the winter. Then they'll go outside again.

The ones here don't have a bad smell like I expected, it's actually a faint powdery smell, but the smell is still a big problem because if you kill one inside your house, it lures more in. It's a major signal to them, it seems. And I can testify to that. As soon as I began catching them in paper towels and squishing them, (they release the scent upon dying) a whole bunch more started to find their way in to that room through the closed window! I killed a couple dozen before reading that I should avoid crushing them.

Any new ones marching in, I catch and throw into a little plastic container of water and dish soap, which I can flush later. They don't get a chance to release their scent lure that way.

It's just two rooms upstairs that have old wooden sash windows that they were coming in. These windows are so old they have ropes in them that help them open. They're full of gaps. So I stuffed bubble wrap into the edges and laboriously duct-taped all around the edges. Looks terrible.

But they're somehow breaching the perimeter! I don't know how unless they are walking straight through the air conditioner. (I have to leave the AC in; since I must be able to breathe.)

I added more and more tape. It now looks like I'M the insect, trying to cocoon myself inside the house. What they recommend is caulking, but I don't want to caulk an air conditioner into the window. Someone did that at my old place and I nearly destroyed the window taking the air conditioner out when I moved. I intend to move next spring if I can.

So I tried covering up the scent that must still linger around the window. I washed the window with soapy water, then sprayed perfume on the corners. It seems to be helping: No new ones last night.

However, that may just be due to the heat wave. Maybe they aren't going to be rushing inside houses until it gets cold again.

Next, I have to treat the outside of the house. It's difficult since I don't want to be breathing pesticide. I may fill spray bottles with rubbing alcohol and try to get the window areas, at least.

I think I'd like to live in an antiseptic, high-rise building next time.