Target 11 Tests Indoor/Outdoor Stink Bug Trap

PITTSBURGH,None — Target 11 consumer investigator Robin Taylor tested an indoor/outdoor stink bug trap called the Rescue Stink Bug Trap.

The trap is available at many stores, including Home Depot, Lowe's and Walmart. But is it worth the $20?

Although the stink bug invasion has died down significantly, experts said that doesn't mean the problem has gone away. According to bug experts, the stink bugs are staying outside because of the heat and are laying eggs.

"If one in 10 homes had the problem in 2010, there could be nine in 10 homes having the problem later on in 2011," said Stephanie Cates of Rescue Pest Control.

Cates said the Rescue Stink Bug Trap uses a scent called a pheromone to lure both adult and baby stink bugs in.

"They crawl up through the trap cone and then get trapped inside the chamber and dehydrate. There are no poisons in the product," Cates said. "It just acts as a beacon."

To find out if the trap worked outside, Taylor positioned three in apple trees at Soergel Orchard and came back a week later. According to Reed Soergel, the trees were filled with immature stink bugs that cause serious damage to the apple crop.

When Taylor returned the stink bugs were everywhere but inside of the trap.

"Inside is a spider and a dead fly but I don't see anything actually in the trap," Soergel said. "They're not going to take care of the population. I'll never be able to trap enough."

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