Stink Bug infestation. Should I bomb the truck??

4RunnerMD

4RunnerMD

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I was really hoping I wouldn't have to look to this forum for help, I thought they would go away on their own.

I bought the new 4runner about a month ago. (See my other thread: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/86350-re-built-v6.html) I first noticed 5 of these guys when I picked up my truck after the valve work I had done. I left the truck at the machine shop for ~10 days and when I picked it up, there were 5 inside so we used the compressed air to shew them away. No big deal I thought, they must have left a window open. Since then (that was 3 weeks ago), I notice maybe 2-3 new ones every other day and sometimes every day. Now I'm thinking this problem is bigger than I initially thought. I think they might be living somewhere behind the dash maybe?

I am wondering if anyone has any experience dealing with an infestation of anything in their 4runners? I am also starting to think this could be part of the reason the previous owner wanted to sell. Has anyone ever used a bug bomb inside a vehicle??

Any insight to this ridiculous problem would help. Thanks.
 
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if you do decide to do that, remove you seats first.... that sh!t will never come out and it will always smell in there are you will never get another date or get lucky in that rig ever again!
 
I've never bombed my truck but definitely do some research before you do. Stink bugs are resilient to most pesticides...I can't stand those MFs. Anyway, they like to hibernate in dark places. Check under the moldings in your doors, rear hatch, EVERYWHERE I've seen people have them literally just fall out of those spots. Possible they may have even gotten under the carpet somewhere??? Goodluck though they are a pain in the arse.
 
Wow. I was hoping I hoping I would find some good ideas here. I guess I was right to think the problem is larger in scope than I initially thought. Sh!t.
 
sorry man, ive never had that kinda issue, the closest ive come was bees... and even though im allergic to those guys its an easy fix...
 
Park it outside on a really hot day with the windows shut.

That should take care of the problem. I can't imagine too many insects that can live in 150 degree + temperatures.
 
the closest thing that happened to me was a dead rat/mouse in the aircon fan. That stunk thinds up for a couple days, since it happened on a caping trip with 100 degree heat. but a relatively easy solution once back home.

Pound
 
Martinjmpr said:
Park it outside on a really hot day with the windows shut.

That should take care of the problem. I can't imagine too many insects that can live in 150 degree + temperatures.
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Yeah this seems to work for the ones that actually come out of hiding. While I'm in my office during the day, I park it in the sun and come out at 5 and there will be a couple belly-up on the dash or the floor. But then the next day there will be a couple more alive. I think I'll keep doing this in conjunction with trying to spray some windex down into my defroster and AC vents (I read this works after googling the problem). If that doesn't work, I'll move on to Raid.

I will keep you posted, as I'm sure everyone is very interested. (you should be interested if you live in the mid-atlantic.)

:shrug:
 
Yea windex may work. Also heard they don't like dish detergent mixed with water. They can't grip or something or another. I just know I have an exterminator friend that sprays houses down with the mixture. Not sure if it actually kills them though. I usually just resort to the ninja with a fly swatter routine and kill the bastids! lol
 
Stink bugs are new to the U.S. and just got here from China in 1998! I had to google them as I managed to buy a 1st gen 4Runner from out of town with a small case of them last fall. They like to crawl into cars in the fall to hibernate. I think yours are coming out of hiding. I only ever found about 10; 5 when I inspected the rear cubby that holds the jack and then 5 more, one at a time, alive in the truck. They all seem to have left for the season. Spray bombs don't work on them. The best advice I've seen is to get a cheap wet/dry vac and put some water with dish soap in it and suck them up. The soap makes it impossible for them to swim.

My son saw one and said "oh, a stink bug." I had to question him about how he, an 11 year old knew about them. He says the 15 passenger van his Boy Scout troop owns was over run with them this spring. It makes sense. It is parked for long periods of time and they only drive it one weekend a month. We live in Richmond, Va and I had never seen them before. My SIL lives in Northern VA and complained of being over run with them last fall.
 
my best advise is to wrap the truck so they cant get out because they feed on juice from plants and there are nothing to eat from your truck they will die in a month or so, but this way is time consuming.
 
another interesting thing is they hate air freshers, what i would do is take a whole bottle of air fresher, rubber band the triggger open, open hatch window, throw it in like a grenade, close hatch window. wait for them to gtfo outta your truck
 
Nervo19 said:
Stink bugs are new to the U.S. and just got here from China in 1998! I had to google them as I managed to buy a 1st gen 4Runner from out of town with a small case of them last fall. They like to crawl into cars in the fall to hibernate. I think yours are coming out of hiding. I only ever found about 10; 5 when I inspected the rear cubby that holds the jack and then 5 more, one at a time, alive in the truck. They all seem to have left for the season. Spray bombs don't work on them. The best advice I've seen is to get a cheap wet/dry vac and put some water with dish soap in it and suck them up. The soap makes it impossible for them to swim.

My son saw one and said "oh, a stink bug." I had to question him about how he, an 11 year old knew about them. He says the 15 passenger van his Boy Scout troop owns was over run with them this spring. It makes sense. It is parked for long periods of time and they only drive it one weekend a month. We live in Richmond, Va and I had never seen them before. My SIL lives in Northern VA and complained of being over run with them last fall.
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You mean 1898??? I been seeing stinkbugs all my life. Is this a different kinda stinkbug we're talking about here?
 
my best advise is to wrap the truck so they cant get out because they feed on juice from plants and there are nothing to eat from your truck they will die in a month or so, but this way is time consuming.
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Will they really die though? Some insects can live a very long time without food. They might go into deep hibernation. Bed bugs can go a year without feeding.

I think your best bet would be to heat the truck up to 117+ F. Drive it out to death valley an let it sit for a day in the sun. If you do it during the summer you will be able to hit 120 F no problem.
 
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brianemc2_42 said:
Will they really die though? Some insects can live a very long time without food. They might go into deep hibernation. Bed bugs can go a year without feeding.

I think your best bet would be to heat the truck up to 117+ F. Drive it out to death valley an let it sit for a day in the sun. If you do it during the summer you will be able to hit 120 F no problem.
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damn it but the op lives in maryland, if i was OP i would throw like 50 bottle of air freshner in the truck WOT the bottles LOL and leave it for aouple of days them afterwards get a spray bottle and get the strongest alcohol you can get and spray every single part of the interior. maybe make a glass trap jar and put fruit in it because once bugs get in they cant get out :bat:
 
cj80cruiser said:
You mean 1898??? I been seeing stinkbugs all my life. Is this a different kinda stinkbug we're talking about here?
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That's what I'm thinking!

Are we talking about a ~1 inch black, shiny beetle that cruises around slowly until you harass it, at which point it puts it's head down and it's butt in the air and releases a foul odor?

Or is this something different?

Anyone got pics?

This is what I'm talking about:

beetle.jpg~original
 
BigFishAllDay said:
That's what I'm thinking!

Are we talking about a ~1 inch black, shiny beetle that cruises around slowly until you harass it, at which point it puts it's head down and it's butt in the air and releases a foul odor?

Or is this something different?

Anyone got pics?

This is what I'm talking about:

beetle.jpg~original
Click to expand...
god i hate those things got spray a lot back then growing up in china:redbrick: this is not just the OP's problem anymore this is a problem for mankind, killlllllllllllll:ak472:
 
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