Invasion of the Stink Bugs!

For nine years now, every mid to late August, these amazing creatures decide that the inside of my house is a better place to live than outdoors.  They are impolite visitors as they stay all winter, fly around the house like B52 bombers (loud, slow, and heavy), and stink to high heaven if you touch them...or if Itty-Bitty, my cat, decides she's bored and tries to play with them.

Western conifer seed bug (Leptoglossus occidentalis)

They are actually NOT official stink bugs which occupy a whole different family of insects.  They are Western conifer seed bugs in the family Coreidae and have common names of "squash bugs" because they are pests on squash plants or "leaf-footed bugs" because of the way their hind legs have these leaf-like extensions.  On this picture you can see the coloration, patterns, and "leaf-foot". I delight in the exquisite design on their backs. Truly the work of a Master Artist!

Amazingly, they are not originally native to Michigan, but sure seem to thrive during the summer in the planted red pine forest that surrounds my house. Other seasons, well, you know where they reside.

Here's a great article that has lots of information and a good deal of humor:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/11/12/hold_your_noses____the_stink_bugs_are_moving_indoors/

And here's another that is more scientific: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_conifer_seed_bug