OK, I admit it. I like to make things—Italian food, scented soap, wrapping paper. But that’s not why I love this story.
Stink bugs are standing down during these heat waves, but we know they’ll be back. They’re annoying and gross, and—though I’m not scared of them—I always let out a little scream when one pops up. Like most people, I’d do anything to get rid of them.
When a trusted mechanic, Hal Lewis, posted on my Facebook page that he’d improved on a do-it-yourself trap, I was all ears. He says he saw the original design on YouTube, but he wanted to use solar power so it was also environmentally friendly.
These “traps” take about 10 minutes to make—and they work, without having to touch or squish the insect. All you need is a two-liter soda bottle, one of those solar-powered light stakes that you put in your lawn, and some dish-washing liquid. Click here for the how-to video.
Lewis says it’s best to hang the traps near the walls and up high. He uses part of a coat hanger to attach one of them to a door. He also has one outside, to keep the critters away from his tomato plants.
I made one myself with Lewis, and I’m hopeful it will reduce the number of screeches heard in my house throughout stink bug season.
