Stinkbugs on the March: Secure Your Home Before Winter

As temperatures drop across Wisconsin, stinkbugs are on the move again — and this time, they’re looking for a place to ride out the winter. If you’ve noticed these shield-shaped pests clinging to your siding or creeping along window frames, that’s your warning: they’re scouting for entry points.

At BugBoss The X-Terminator, we’ve seen how quickly a few autumn invaders can turn into a full-blown indoor nuisance. Here’s what every homeowner in Clintonville, Waupaca County, and central Wisconsin needs to know to stay ahead of the invasion.

Why Stinkbugs Move In During Fall

Stinkbugs don’t survive Wisconsin’s freezing winters outdoors. Instead, they seek warmth and shelter in attics, basements, wall voids, and window casings — anywhere they can slip through a gap.

Once inside, they go dormant for the winter. But when warm indoor air reaches them, they wake up and start crawling — usually on walls, ceilings, or light fixtures. While they don’t bite or cause structural damage, they release a foul odor when crushed or disturbed, making infestations unpleasant and persistent.

Common Entry Points Around Your Home

These bugs are excellent hitchhikers and expert infiltrators. Our technicians most often find them entering through:

• Cracks around windows and doors
• Gaps in siding or roof soffits
• Loose screens and vents
• Chimney gaps and attic openings

Once they find a way in, they release pheromones that attract more stinkbugs to the same location — meaning one small entry point can lead to hundreds inside.

Prevention Starts Outside

The best defense is to seal them out before they settle in. We recommend:

• Caulking exterior cracks and gaps around windows, doors, and utility lines
• Replacing worn weatherstripping and damaged screens
• Installing fine-mesh vent covers to block attic entry
• Scheduling a professional perimeter treatment before consistent cold weather sets in

BugBoss uses industry-proven exterior barrier treatments that stop stinkbugs — and other overwintering pests like boxelders, Asian lady beetles, and cluster flies — before they get inside.

Already Seeing Activity Indoors? Act Fast.

If stinkbugs have already found their way in, don’t rely on DIY sprays or vacuums. Crushing them releases odor and can spread pheromones that attract even more pests.

Instead, we use targeted, low-odor treatments to eliminate infestations without damaging walls or surfaces — and we can follow up with long-term prevention plans to keep them out year after year.

The Wisconsin Weather Advantage — for Now

Right now, as temperatures drop but before deep freeze sets in, is the ideal window to treat for stinkbugs. Once they’re inside and dormant, access becomes difficult until spring.



A quick fall service visit ensures your home is protected through the winter months, so you won’t be surprised by a swarm on the first warm day in March.

Stop Stinkbugs Before They Move In

Protect your home this season with a proven defense plan from BugBoss The X-Terminator — Clintonville’s trusted local pest experts. We’ll identify vulnerabilities, apply precision treatments, and keep your home stinkbug-free all winter long.