RESCUE! BugBlog

Serving our community

Thanks to this problem and this forthcoming solution, thousands of new readers have found our blog in the past few weeks. So, what many of you know of Sterling International/RESCUE! is that we are innovators in the insect trap category.

But there's another side to our business which is just as important: caring for others and serving our community. Since 2002, we have sent a group every month to serve lunch at Spokane's Union Gospel Mission.

Although we have many times -- for instance, right now -- when we're firing on all cylinders at the office and working hard to meet demand for our products, we've always taken the time to honor this commitment to the Mission.

Today was no different. We knew that with temperatures in the single digits, the lunch crowd would be numerous. So Marc in Engineering, Paul in Operations, Stephanie (me!) in Marketing, our President Rod, and Diedra in Accounting/Customer Service headed downtown to serve fajitas and other fare to the lunch crowd.

 

 

A "Stink Bug-pocalypse?"

All signs and news stories like this one are pointing to a stink bug plague of "biblical proportions" this year. Is this overly dramatic? Perhaps. But when your home -- your sanctuary -- is threatened by these smelly pests, it doesn't take that many to make you pull your hair out.

Some readers have said they are killing 40-50 a day in their homes. This gentleman claims to have killed over 12,000 of them in his Maryland farmhouse.  

What about you? We want to hear more about your stink bug situation where you live. Please share with us below... or better yet, on our Facebook page, where we occasionally post contests and give away prizes!

Don't like stink bugs? Then "Like" RESCUE! on Facebook!

If you like the fact that we've developed a Stink Bug Trap, and you're on Facebook, then "Like" RESCUE! there. We post the latest news and occasionally do contests and giveaways there too!

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Is Pittsburgh the epicenter of the stink bug invasion?

What's happening in Pittsburgh to make stink bugs such a hot topic? Looks like a warming trend where daytime temps reached the 60s this past week is playing a role in stirring up these stinky specimens. The adult bugs are getting restless inside the houses where they found shelter when the weather turned colder last fall.

Thanks to this Post-Gazette blog post, this Post-Gazette article, this WPXI-TV news story, and this one on KDKA-TV, we're getting an extraordinary response from western Pennsylvania for our Stink Bug Trap. Retailers in the area are on it, too, letting us know they're hot to get the product on their shelves!

We know that inside the house, stink bugs respond to light and seek moisture. When they are disturbed or threatened, they emit a chemical defensive secretion. In lay terms, they stink!

Whether it's flushing them down the toilet, vacuuming them (which causes that chemical defense) or dunking them in a water/dish soap mixture, people are getting by with home remedies for now because there is no effective extermination method.

The good news is that these overwintering adults will start to leave the house when spring's warmer temperatures hit.

We wish it were sooner, folks, but help is on the way... Hang on for the RESCUE! Stink Bug Trap, coming July 2011!

Making lemonade from the "lemons" that are stink bugs

When the stink bug invasion of your home is driving you crazy, and the help that's on the way won't come soon enough, how do you deal with the bugs in the meantime?

Two people we encountered this week have come up with creative ways to do just that.

Dan Murphy is concerned about the effect this bug will have on farmers an families, and is glad that RESCUE! has developed a solution. He created StinkyBug.com as a relief outlet to "take a lighter look at this bug that has invaded our land, our homes, and our lives. I don't intend to diminish the severity of this problem," he says, "but merely to raise awareness through humor."

Dan sells notepads, coasters and mousepads that poke fun at the stinkbug problem.

Meanwhile, MaryEllen Henderson of York, PA has turned the hundreds of stink bugs she's collected into jewelry.

"I take little stink bugs, after they die I laminate them in a small jewelry bezle," Henderson said. "And once I put the bug in, I paint his back and then I laminate, or pour resin over the top so it seals."

Each piece of jewelry is unique. "They do have a little, some patterns on them that I try to incorporate into the design if I can," she said.

Here's more: 

 

Interested in the jewelry? Contact [email protected].

Western PA heralds RESCUE! Stink Bug Trap arrival

Folks in western Pennsylvania are among those anticipating the arrival of the RESCUE! Stink Bug Trap on store shelves, thanks to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter Doug Oster's blog post, article, and Sunday morning show on KDKA-AM.

Busy Beaver will carry the RESCUE! Stink Bug Trap at all of their locations in western PA and eastern Ohio. Other known retailers in that region are Agway in Greensburg, PA; Best Feeds Garden Center in Gibsonia, PA; and Martin's Flowers & Shrubs in Belle Vernon, PA.

This list will grow; check back for more retail locations in the coming months!

More about the RESCUE! Stink Bug Trap

A comment on our last blog post brought up some good points and questions about the product that we want to answer here.

Q: Will the Stink Bug Trap attract more stink bugs onto your property that wouldn't ordinarily be there?

A: No. The RESCUE! Stink Bug Trap will catch stink bugs within a 20-foot radius. It will attract the bugs that are already in your yard and prevent them from damaging your garden or getting in your house. All of our RESCUE! traps work this way, in fact -- it's a misconception to believe that they lure insects from all over the neighborhood.

Q: Will the trap work indoors?

A: No, the trap is intended for use outdoors to prevent the stink bugs from doing damage in your garden or getting inside your house. Once stink bugs are inside your house, they do not respond to the pheromone lures. If our testing leads us to a solution for catching stink bugs indoors, we will most certainly share that.

Q: Some stink bugs are beneficial. Will the trap catch them along with the pests?

A: We recognize that some stink bugs, like the Spined Soldier Bug, are beneficial. The RESCUE! Stink Bug Trap will catch the stink bugs that are pests and leave the beneficial insects alone.

Keep your questions coming!

Got a Stink Bug problem? Thanks to RESCUE!, there's a trap for that!

(tap, tap, tap) Is this thing on?

Just checking the microphone and sound system since we haven't broadcast anything here in a while.

We're back... with big news. Many of you have asked us about a solution for stink bugs. Since last September, they've received major media attention when their numbers exploded in the U.S. The stink bug has been called a "terrorist bug" by Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD) and its spread was deemed a "national crisis" in a letter written by Bartlett and 14 other members of Congress.

Just five months later, a solution has emerged: the RESCUE! Stink Bug Trap from Sterling International.

(So, does this mean that we can say "RESCUE! solves national crisis"? I like the sound of that headline!)

Stink Bugs damage fruit, vegetables and farm crops -- but when they invade the indoors in colder weather, they really raise a stink. With no natural predators, stink bugs have been discovered in 30 states to this point. Michigan was added to the list last week.

Available for shipments in July 2011, the RESCUE! Stink Bug Trap works outdoors to catch adult stink bugs before they enter homes, as well as the younger generations that damage gardens and fruit trees. The trap lures multiple species of stink bugs with pheromone attractants that are odor-free to humans.

The reusable trap comes with a 2-week attractant supply and is expected to be priced at $19.99 retail. A 7-week attractant refill will be sold separately for $9.99 retail.

Testing of the RESCUE! Stink Bug Trap was conducted at the USDA's 800-acre facility in Beltsville, MD. Sterling designed both the trap and the controlled-release technology for the pheromone. Though difficult and expensive to produce, the pheromones will be manufactured in-house thanks to Sterling's expertise in chemical synthesis.

Established in 1982, Sterling International, Inc. sells its RESCUE! traps and attractants for wasps, hornets, yellowjackets, flies, Japanese beetles and Oriental beetles through home improvement centers, hardware stores and lawn & garden retailers throughout the U.S. and beyond. The traps are manufactured in the USA at Sterling's headquarters in Spokane, Washington.