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Stinkbugs!
If you find a way to control them let me know. They seem to invade my house a couple of times a year for a few weeks at a time. They leave a mess on my curtains and walls.
Do not squash them or try to suck them up with a vacuum. You will find out the hard way why they're called stink bugs. They're relatively slow and fairly easy to catch, so I just toss them out the door when I see them.
In the past several years I have observed that in the mid- Atlantic region their population seems to have a big spike right around the autumn equinox till there is a string of robust frosts.
It's stink bug season! Now is the time they'll be looking to hole up in your house for the winter.
And guess what, once they do that in your house they'll find their way back each year because they leave a trail that they can follow for at least a mile. You see them most in fall when they want in and spring when they want out, and maybe if you get a warm spell in winter. Most of the time through the winter though you won't see them, and in the summer you won't see them much.
It's an invasive species from Asia I believe, but basically harmless inside your house, doesn't bite or anything. (Outside in the summer they are a threat to certain crops, like tomatoes I think is one.) They're slow so I catch them with little cups and flush 'em. Waste of water but just chucking them back outside doesn't help. I remember someone saying they keep a bucket and let 'em drown in there, then can flush a larger amount with just one flush.
They are drawn to light so some people have developed traps with a light to trap them, including at least one DIY made from a 2-liter bottle that you can search for on YouTube. The don't respond well to most pesticides (that shape doesn't just look like a shield, it IS a shield!) although I have seen some product at big orange box store that claims to be a stink bug killing spray. Have not tried it.
And yes, you don't want to crush or vacuum them as they will stink.
You are the proud owner of a stinkbug. I had one crawling across the computer screen a few nights ago. I coaxed him onto a piece of paper and tossed him in the waste can. Hopefully he stayed in there. If I see one in the bathroom, it goes in the toilet.
We took out the window air conditioner units a little later than we should have and found maybe a dozen hiding on the screen inside the window. Thats way down from the HUNDRED I had to vacuum out of the drapes 2 years ago. I read in the paper that they're far less prevalent this year. A few were in the drapesthis time but only a few. I still see them though. I had one on the window of the car and gave him a blast of eye glass cleaner to chase him off.I saw one on the porch walk. Another was outside on the window.The trick is to not them congregate in any numbers so don't give them any place to get in.
They'll crawl into the house to get warm and come in through cracks or gaps or crawl under siding. Then they head for light and will buzz lamps or walk along walls. They get in our attic and then com down through the bathroom light vent. Don't squash them or they will stink. I've never found out how bad. I know the dog won't eat them.
A simple trap is to put a light in a gallon jug with water in it in a dark room or attic and they'll fly in and drown. Or just have them stay in the jug seal it and throw it away.
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