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In the first fall after I moved into my current home, as temperatures dropped, I moved indoors and found the coziest corners from which to work. Well, I soon discovered that so did unwanted guests: stink bugs. These pests are only a minor nuisance. They don’t bite, and they don’t damage the home. But their pheromones will attract more of their kind, which will turn a handful of stink bugs looking for a place to overwinter into an infestation if you don’t get rid of them one by one.
I knew that I would take no pleasure from squashing these intruders, named for their unpleasant odor if smashed or spooked. In addition to the stench, they can also leave stains behind. So, I opted to catch and release these bugs with a BugZooka, instead. This battery-free vacuum looks like a children’s science toy with an “observation chamber,” but it’s actually a chemical-free pest control solution. Just compress the spring-loaded accordion end, aim the trap door end at your target, and press the red button to suck up the insect into the removable plastic tube.
Rated 5/5 for Stink Bug Removal
Photo: Amazon
What We Like
- Extends reach by 16.5 inches to catch pests
- Chemical-free pest control
- Preferable solution for beneficial bugs
- Aids identification of pests
What We Don’t Like
- May require one or two tries to catch fast-moving pests
- Only 1-inch opening, which is not large enough to trap all beneficial insects (e.g., praying mantis)
I have found that the vacuum suction is almost always enough to capture an insect on the first try, but you may need to aim and repeat if you didn’t get close enough to the creepy-crawler in the first place. And though I picked it up for stink bugs to start, I’ve also used it to relocate other harmless insects (e.g., a grasshopper) or to more clearly identify new pests (e.g., a flour beetle) before I give them the boot. The clear removable catch tube is key for observation, but I used the gray-tinted version numerous times at first when I did not care to get a good view.
Bugs tend to make my skin crawl—particularly the jumpy ones—so I particularly appreciate that the nearly long vacuum extends my reach by 16.5 inches, putting a little extra distance between me and them. (The old “catch them in a tissue” method does not tend to afford this luxury.)
Overall, the tool has been central to minimizing a stink bug invasion. While tedious to take them outside one by one, this vacuum has helped me frame the evacuation as more of a game: See, scoop, and shake outdoors to send bugs packing.
