Odd questions

[Obewan]

Leaving Ohio to return to Florida in a couple days. While here in Ohio, we've been inundated with stink bugs. Stink bugs are everywhere! At one point, they pretty much covered the outside of the camper. I saw in a news article that an RV was responsible for spreading these critters to another state (can't remember which one). Is there something that I should do to prevent dragging these things home with me?

[Dog_Folks]

proxim2020: Sent you a PM.

[Community Alumni]

Technically it's still on topic and it's a good healthy discussion, which is always pleasant. We haven't gone into 3rd grade mode calling each other names. I'm actually genuinely interested in what's actually going on with the soap. Maybe you can explain what's going on. When I had the infestation in the tomato plants I read about this method all over the internet. I would knock the stink bugs off the leaves into a small bucket of soapy water, watch them struggle for 15-30 seconds or so, and stop moving. The larger ones were quite a challenge, but eventually they also went down. I did this with hundreds of stink bugs for several weeks. I thought about spraying the plants down with the soapy solution to encapsulate the bugs, but that would probably be detrimental to the leaves and fruit. I eventually gave up when I realize I couldn't win the war against them and the hornworm (an even more formidable opponent). So are you saying that the bugs aren't drowning, but actually dehydrating in the pool of water? I guess that's possible. I've seen stranger things happen.

Link1
Link 2

I'm not sure if this would be considered scientific enough, but here's articles for the University of Maryland Extension (Link 1) and Cornell University/Rockland County Extension (Link 2). Both articles specifically uses the word "drown". There's actually articles from quite a few extensions that use the word drown. That's what leads me to believe that the ultimate cause of death is asphyxiation. I've never ran across an article mentioning dehydration when relating to the soap method. Doesn't mean it doesn't exist, I've just never seen one. Maybe the idea of drowning is just a misnomer. Maybe what's going on is a combination of drowning and dehydration. I'm not trying to challenge you or downplay your experience or credentials in any way. I'm just interested in what's going on.

[Dog_Folks]

proxim2020 wrote:

Dog Folks wrote:
I would not worry, as Florida already has stink bugs. Your concern is admirable.

proxim2020 said:"The soap cuts through the waxy protective coating and clogs the pores."

Just to clarify, the soap does not "clog the pores." It does,as stated, remove the waxy layer.

This eliminates the ability of the insect to retain water, therefore they dehydrate and die.

I guess that's possible, but it's actually suffocation that kills them. Just like all insects, stink bugs breathe through their spiracles which is protected by the waxy coating on their shells. The soap acts as a surfactant stripping away the coating. This allows the soap and water to enter the spiracles preventing oxygen from entering. The bug then suffocates and dies.

Link

I know the article applies to squash bugs, but they are quite similar to stink bugs and are part of the same Heteroptera family.

FYI, in most insects and other insect like animals, the spiracles do not work like that. Imagine an inward opening valve into a larger chamber. (It is called, appropriately, the atrium) The animal can open and close the spiracle with voluntary muscle movements. So they can close, and eliminate any water/soap intrusion easily. Kinda like closing your mouth and pinching nostrils. No air flow or other exchange will take place.

Although it is possible that physically, a soap bubble will clog the spiracle opening, it is not not the major cause of death.

It is well established that dessication/dehydration is.

Sorry, you source is not scientifically vetted. I have studied entomology the University OF Florida, am court approved as an expert witness regarding insects and their control,and spent 30 very profitable years in the insect business.

No offense is meant or implied. As further discussion would be far of topic so I will not provide any commentary on the matter.

You are certainly welcome to believe what you wish.

No matter what HAPPY CAMPING!!

[Community Alumni]

Dog Folks wrote:
I would not worry, as Florida already has stink bugs. Your concern is admirable.

proxim2020 said:"The soap cuts through the waxy protective coating and clogs the pores."

Just to clarify, the soap does not "clog the pores." It does,as stated, remove the waxy layer.

This eliminates the ability of the insect to retain water, therefore they dehydrate and die.

I guess that's possible, but it's actually suffocation that kills them. Just like all insects, stink bugs breathe through their spiracles which is protected by the waxy coating on their shells. The soap acts as a surfactant stripping away the coating. This allows the soap and water to enter the spiracles preventing oxygen from entering. The bug then suffocates and dies.

Link

I know the article applies to squash bugs, but they are quite similar to stink bugs and are part of the same Heteroptera family.

[dadmomh]

The car wash is a dandy idea except for the pressure washer part. Pressure washers and trailers are not BFF....hard on the decals, can force water into places it shouldn't be and other assorted things you don't want. Go ahead and use the soft brush and then turn the water pressure down as low as possible and gently rinse the soap off. You could get down and rinse off the undercarriage if you feel strongly about it. Any concerns about the inside, can be solved with a couple of flea-type foggers. Secure it with some tape to your table or wherever while you're in transit and then open up everything for a couple of hours when you get stopped. You'll need to wipe everything down after the foggers, but they may help.

[Dog_Folks]

I would not worry, as Florida already has stink bugs. Your concern is admirable.

proxim2020 said:"The soap cuts through the waxy protective coating and clogs the pores."

Just to clarify, the soap does not "clog the pores." It does,as stated, remove the waxy layer.

This eliminates the ability of the insect to retain water, therefore they dehydrate and die.

[dahkota]

We left Maryland/DC a couple of weeks ago. While we did not have any clinging to the outside by the time we hit Florida, we have ones here and there crawling out of where ever it hid. They have managed to get inside and even yesterday we found one crawling on the wall. So, two weeks+ later we are still finding them, one at a time, inside. Nothing you can do but hope you catch them before you crush them underfoot.

[Community Alumni]

I'm now very familiar with stink bugs since they ruined a nice crop of tomatoes I had in the backyard. They pierce the skin of the tomato and suck the juice out. Everywhere they feed ends up leaving a dead spot. They ended up ruining every last tomato I had that year.

Washing the trailer is a very good idea. Soapy solutions will trap and kill them. They breathe through pores in their shell. The soap cuts through the waxy protective coating and clogs the pores. However, they're very good at finding hiding spots and can keep a pretty good grip to the surface they're on, so there's a good chance that some won't just blow away while going down the road. I doubt that RVers are mostly responsible for the local invasion. They're fairly strong fliers with no natural enemies here in America. They have enemies, but non that are naturally attracted or targets them. With those conditions they can spread pretty quickly. I have to give you kudos for at least not wanted to add to the problem.

[xteacher]

Check inside your camper, too. On another site I'm a member of, the person found them inside her camper when she was cleaning it out after a trip, including under her mattress. She became totally unglued, to say the least!

[lizzie]

majorgator wrote:
I wouldn't worry about it. You're a tiny fish in a huge sea of insect carriers that are already on the road. Buy maybe some of the people who are in FL now can carry some these dang love bugs back with them.

We started back to NC with a load but they fell off about Tifton. Had a particularly amorous couple hanging on the rear view mirror for so long we were making bets on whether
they would make it to Atlanta. Lizzie

[CavemanCharlie]

I just looked them up. I'm glad we don't have them in my area yet. But, it looks like they are coming. I just got over the Chinese Lady Beetle thing. They were bad for about 7-8 years but, they were eating the soybean aphid. That was destroying the crops so there was a aggressive campaign to kill the soybean aphid and the beetles went away too.

[gbopp]

I agree, it's nice that you want to help stop the spread of stink bugs.
But, it would be just about impossible to wash all of them off your RV.
They're not just on the outside surfaces. They will be on the chassis and underneath the RV.
And, I'm sure there a few hiding inside.

[toedtoes]

I agree with the idea of the car wash. At least you'll have made a reasonable effort to do your part.

It is a stinky problem to have, that's for sure. 😉

[majorgator]

I wouldn't worry about it. You're a tiny fish in a huge sea of insect carriers that are already on the road. Buy maybe some of the people who are in FL now can carry some these dang love bugs back with them.