Stink bugs

[Southern Gardener]

are taking over my garden. :/ I can't see where they've done any damage though - they especially love my tomato plants. I read that they tend to prefer fruit. Does anyone have any experience with stink bugs? Should I just leave them?

I've been lucky with my garden as far as pests go - I had a few green worms eating my beans but I just picked them off and squished them.

 

[lesa]

Check the bottom of your squash plant leaves. If you see perfect rows of eggs- they got you! Good luck!

 

[journey11]

I notice the most damage on my tomatoes when it comes to stink bugs. You won't see what they've done until your tomato turns ripe, then you'll notice that most of the skin has a yellowed "rash" where they've punctured it. It will be pithy and ugly. I guess they are sucking the juices out. They'll hit all of them too, every plant.

I end up spraying my tomatoes once in the summer when I see them first arrive, while the tomatoes are filling out, but still green. They don't reoccur, IME. I've tried picking them off by hand, but they see you coming and hide. They're pretty fast!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Check the bottom of your squash plant leaves. If you see perfect rows of eggs- they got you! Good luck!

The eggs on the squash leaves are from squash bugs. I think that is a specialized variety of stink bug. The squash bugs can multiply and seriously injure or even kill your squash. The other varieties of stink bugs may lay eggs on any of the host plants.

Stink bugs do suck juices from the plants and fruit, and they will scar fruits like tomatoes, peppers, and egg plant. Rodale's Vegetable Garden Problem solver says that some stink bugs, (they mention nymphs but I thought it was adults too) feed on leaves, others on flower buds and blossoms whick will shrivel and die back, feeding injuries on fruits produce distortions or cloudy areas, and bean, pea, and okra pods will be shrivelled and unusable.

The way I read it, some stink bugs are specialists like the squash bug and some are generalists, hitting many different crops. Other than the squash bug, I have never had a serious problem with stink bugs, but I do see some damage. It has never been bad enough to spray for them but I do try to hand pick any I see.

 

[journey11]

Found this on eHow... Sounds simple enough to give it a try. I don't see how spraying water on them every day for a week could work though. She lists a bunch of companion plants and says to completely surround the tomato patch (prior to their arrival), and also an oil and water spray on the plants when you see them. What do you guys think/have experience with this or similar?

http://www.ehow.com/video_4951481_repel-stink-bugs-off-tomato.html

(Seems that these stinky pests don't like things that smell good!)

This link also had a lot of good info, especially on removing and destroying nearby plants they overwinter on. (I think it was Hoodat that told me before that they love blackberry plants. I don't think I can part with mine though!)

 

[Southern Gardener]

I inspected my tomatoes and I just don't see any damage from the stink bugs. I did notice a few flowers were shriveled - not sure if they are the cause though.

I watched to video - thanks journey - yeah, and I don't see how just spraying them with water everyday will work. I'm going to try the oil and water.

I picked several tomatoes today and all of them were beautiful. The only problem they are causing is when they fly in my hair and I'm screaming like I'm being murdered. (insert shuddering smiley here)

 

[obsessed]

I try to pick off the stink bugs cause I have like a ton of them. But eww bugs gross me out and I just can't. I just can't do it. I also couldn't cut out the vine borer from the squash. so my tomatoes get some blemishes. oh well. I would think they still taste better than the market. And I am extrememly lazy. so spraying is not an option. and I don't know what to spray with. I could look it but but the laziness and I have to read all the posts I missed this weekend!

 

[Southern Gardener]

So I tried the oil and water spray yesterday. I sprayed more of the bugs than I did the plants - the bugs got bogged down by the oil and couldn't fly. I'm just wondering what the oil will do to the plants in this scorching heat.

 

[lesa]

Hoping you sprayed in the morning...does the oil really stick to leaves?

 

[vfem]

I would have done the oil and water at night rather then morning. The heat may cause some damage.

The stink bugs are horrible here and have been recently having parties on my strawberries and hibiscus. They seem to be hanging with the bad kids on the block... the japanese beetles!!! Grrrr