WASHINGTON - It's the invasion of the brown marmorated stink bug. If you haven't seen one in or around your home or car yet - just wait.

"The middle window - there were like 50 of them up there," said Sarah Milhaupt, North Potomac, Md., resident.

"...You open the door for a split second and they just start coming in," said Guy Borrelli, also from North Potomac.

And you know it is bad when the owner of a pest control company tells you not to waste your money on an exterminator. "I would get rid of them if I could," said Becky Wade, American Pest Control Owner.

Experts say the insects are from Asia and first appeared in Allentown, Pennsylvania back in 1996. They then spread throughout our area and beyond. There are no known predators, so the bugs continue to creep into homes through cracks and crevices.

Experts say while last year was bad, this year will be worse.

"I thought I heard something rattling in the baseboard and there were hundreds in one window," Wade added.

Residents say they are under attack inside and outside of their home. "I was battling them out of the way," Milhaupt said.

Milhaupt says she snags them with tissue, handling them carefully in order to prevent the bugs form releasing their oily, mildew-like odor before sending them on their way.

"They're awful. I hate them, and I know it's only going to get worse as the winter goes on," she said.

The bugs don't bite but they're clearly a major nuisance. To keep them out of your house do the same things you'd do to make your home energy-efficient: weather strip, caulk, seal all the cracks.

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