If you thought that a drop in temperatures would mean that all of the creepy crawlies in your city just vanish, you couldn't be more wrong.

When it's cold outside, bugs that don't migrate or hibernate will do whatever they can to find shelter in your toasty home.

These unwanted guests include stink bugs, ladybugs, and other small insects that make their way into our attics, kitchen cupboards, between our furniture, and under our sofas.

One pest in particular may be hiding in your home right now, and you don't even know it.

The brown marmorated stink bug is believed to have been accidentally introduced to the U.S. from an East Asian country, and was first discovered in America sometime in the 1990s.

These pests are less than an inch long, and are well-known for their "stink glands" on the underside of their bodies.

According to Rosa da Silva, an assistant professor within the Department of Biology and School of Interdisciplinary Sciences at McMaster University, it's not uncommon for homeowners to come across a large mass of these insects during Autumn.

"I once visited a home where there were thousands of hibernating stink bugs tucked away under a sofa in the sun porch," she wrote in her article for The Conversation.

"While these insects are unlikely to cause a problem during the winter months (they mostly remain out of plain sight), you might start to notice them on warm sunny winter days and, as spring approaches, when temperature and sunlight cues break the insect's diapause."

There is a way to find them. You'll have to use your nose!

Stink bugs have been given this name for a reason.

They're known for smelling something like cilantro, stale almonds, or rotting fruit.

But whatever you do, don't squish them!

The strange odor in your home will only intensify if you try to smack these bugs to death.

The best thing you can do is use clever traps, such as luring them with a soapy solution before you freeze the bugs you catch, and then flush them down the drain.  

How to prevent these critters from making their way into your home in the first place.

Whether or not you have them inside your home now, every homeowner should be prepared in the event that they could get a bug infestation.

Make sure your windows are shut and you have screens behind them, seal any cracks in your outside walls, and keep an eye on your A/C vents.

That being said, spraying your property with pesticides before stink bugs make their way in your home is the best chance you have at living in a stink-free zone.

[H/T: The Conversation / Today]

Have you had any problems with stink bugs? Let us know your tricks on how you get rid of them!