Stink Bugs - Brown marmorated

P

PG

Joined
Mar 9, 2021
Posts
85
Likes collected
109
Funster No
79,641
MH
VW Transporter
They came from China and they have now invaded Europe - The Brown marmorated Stink Bug

We have a pop up roof on the VW and in September in mid to lower France the roof gets hundreds of them. You can't easily bat them away as you could damage the fabric.

Has anyone been having success with the outside light and tray of soapy water?

We don't usually travel in the van in August do you get a lot of them in France in August?

Thanks

1775986605090.jpeg
 
I am still finding stow aways from last Septembers trip to France!

We have just washed all the curtains this morning, 9 appeared yesterday when I was removing them from the van, one has just been binned after getting a bath in the washing machine.

I haven't had issues when traveling in August.
 
Ladybirds, we seem to have inherited a colony of those in the new to us bus, all sizes and spot numbers not just the more familiar 7 spot ones. The advice is it's best not to kill any even if they have differing spot numbers as they may still be a native species as there are about 48 different native species!!
Mike.
 
SVMC15 said:
I am still finding stow aways from last Septembers trip to France!

We have just washed all the curtains this morning, 9 appeared yesterday when I was removing them from the van, one has just been binned after getting a bath in the washing machine.

I haven't had issues when traveling in August
Click to expand...

SVMC15 said:
I am still finding stow aways from last Septembers trip to France!

We have just washed all the curtains this morning, 9 appeared yesterday when I was removing them from the van, one has just been binned after getting a bath in the washing machine.

I haven't had issues when traveling in August.
Click to expand...
Maybe I will have to change my habits and travel in late August.
They do overwinter. We have been doing a little work on the van and a test drive brings them out (not all of them).
 
Just googled and stink bug season in Europe is 1st September to 30th April.

We generally head to France/Spain mid-April which is probably why we haven’t encountered them yet 🤞
 
I have a spider phobia so a couple of days ago when I used the sun visor and saw a dark shape when the inside was revealed, It was a good job I was on my own and the road was clear. As someone who doesn't normally use sweary words the air was blue:Eeek:. The second glance revealed it was a stink bug from our last holiday in France about a year ago. I don't mind them but I wish they would not look like spiders on a casual glance. It would certainly help my blood presure.The stowaway is now residing in a hedge in Melrose campsite. Probably frozen to death by now.
Sue

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Well, we'll be in France in a few weeks' time, so we'll see then. We missed them the last couple of years, but a few years ago we were absolutely inundated with them, and yes they kept crawling out from the van for a year or so! Absolutely hated them. Squash them and they spray this smelly gas on you. I'll check with my son in SW France when we speak this weekend! I'll still go though 😀!!
 
PG said:
Maybe I will have to change my habits and travel in late August.
They do overwinter. We have been doing a little work on the van and a test drive brings them out (not all of them).
Click to expand...
We were swarmed by stink bugs in South West France in late September '24
They are on a single minded mission to get inside the motorhome. I kept a brush to sweep them off the door fly screen before entering.
They were still getting in, I realised as I brushed them off, they were flying behind me, landing on my back and getting in that way.
I then had to brush the screen, take my t shirt off for a shake then go in.
But whatever you do they find a way in then find a dark crevice to make home 🤬
 
In my case, they'd set up home in the battery locker, unbeknown to me. When I did eventually open it, they were all over the battery in layers, a seething mass, and they tumbled out like a waterfall 😁!! Had to take the battery out, and spray the whole thing with some sort of antiseptic, and of course they farted en mass, it was gruesome inside the van!!
 
Never actually seen one. We drove through France last October and down to south of Italy and then back in November. Is it only certain areas they are around?
 
funflair said:
Two years later they are still popping up in the van when the weather warms up, hopefully when we go back to France in May they will recognise where they came from and jump ship.
Click to expand...
Same with us, turfed one out a few days ago from an infestation we had in the Dordogne in 2024.
 
Purrfecttune said:
Just googled and stink bug season in Europe is 1st September to 30th April.

We generally head to France/Spain mid-April which is probably why we haven’t encountered them
Click to expand...

Dorwyn said:
Well, we'll be in France in a few weeks' time, so we'll see then. We missed them the last couple of years, but a few years ago we were absolutely inundated with them, and yes they kept crawling out from the van for a year or so! Absolutely hated them. Squash them and they spray this smelly gas on you. I'll check with my son in SW France when we speak this weekend! I'll still go though 😀!!
Click to expand...
Would be good to hear....they crawl on the ceiling and sometimes fall on you.
 
Kannon Fodda said:
I knew there were good reasons not to put on my big boy pants and cross the channel to France. :smiley:
Click to expand...
I think they're setting up home in the uk so you won't have to travel.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
TC3 said:
Never actually seen one. We drove through France last October and down to south of Italy and then back in November. Is it only certain areas they are around?
Click to expand...
They're spreading like wildfire so an area that is free at the moment could be infestedin two or three years time. They travel with vehicles, lorries, campers, cars you name it.
 
PG said:
They're spreading like wildfire so an area that is free at the moment could be infestedin two or three years time. They travel with vehicles, lorries, campers, cars you name it.
Click to expand...
When I put the curtains back up I found another, that's SE Cornwall now infested! 😬
 
SVMC15 said:
When I put the curtains back up I found another, that's SE Cornwall now infested! 😬
Click to expand...
I think there is a native UK species, bright green but not very common, and may not be native actually, but has been here years
Last year I had an infestation of ladybirds and that was from a day out in the UK. Still finding them now.
 
Figaro said:
I think there is a native UK species, bright green but not very common, and may not be native actually, but has been here years
Last year I had an infestation of ladybirds and that was from a day out in the UK. Still finding them now.
Click to expand...
They are definitely the brown ones, we got mobbed in Rouillac.

We do see the green ones down here but never in the numbers we saw in France.
 
SVMC15 said:
They are definitely the brown ones, we got mobbed in Rouillac.

We do see the green ones down here but never in the numbers we saw in France.
Click to expand...
The green ones are nice! The brown ones are gross!! Not that I'm prejudiced, of course 😁

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Figaro said:
I think there is a native UK species, bright green but not very common, and may not be native actually, but has been here years
Last year I had an infestation of ladybirds and that was from a day out in the UK. Still finding them now.
Click to expand...
No you can tell the difference. Much bigger and brown.
 
SVMC15 said:
When I put the curtains back up I found another, that's SE Cornwall now infested! 😬
Click to expand...
They are just using our vans to hibernate for the winter so the harsh winters won't kill them off. They want fruit so south of england will get hit.
 
SVMC15 said:
They are definitely the brown ones, we got mobbed in Rouillac.

We do see the green ones down here but never in the numbers we saw in France.
Click to expand...
That seems to be the hot spot region/departments I don't know if its the high amout of fruit trees, milder winters but something is making those areas more prolific. Did ask farmers in a french cafe but they said they use a type of chemical to protect the fruit.
One thing is for sure, if you see them in spring they were hibernating in your van as they have larvae that need leaves to grow.
 
This week's Midweek MotorhomeFun Fix says:

Hundreds of uninvited stowaways Brown marmorated stink bugs are infesting motorhomes across France.

Just a friendly warning - under this Labour government, that qualifies as hate speech and could get you 5 years in clink.

Under the Greens, you'll get a hand amputated for typing it.

Just saying. Stay safe. Be silenced.
 
Mid September 2025 Tarn-et-Garonne department invaded by them. Trip Jan/Feb this year to south of France they were coming out of hiding, particularly when warm, bright and sunny. We were finding between 4 and 8 every day on the 6+ week trip. Back in Scotland no sign of them so I thought they must be all gone......until the other day (THE warm one) there was one basking in the sun outside on the rear of the mototorhome, it must have come out from a hiding place under.
Someone on here recommended Xterminate total release to fumigate them. I got some off Amazon but have not tried it yet.
 

Join us or log in to post a reply.

To join in you must be a member of MotorhomeFun

Join MotorhomeFun

Join us, it quick and easy!

Join us

Log in

Already a member? Log in here.

Forum posts reflect the views of individual users and not MotorhomeFun.
MotorhomeFun does not endorse or verify user-generated content.

Back
Top