Saw a stink bug today....Way early, no??

Tomatovator · June 8, 2008

I saw a stink bug today and was able to dispose of it but in SW Pennsylvania I didn't think we even had any of these guys around till the end of the summer. I've got a few blossoms opening up now but no tomatoes that can be seen. Do these bugs hurt the plants or just the fruits? Seems way too early for them to be around anyway.

Raymondo · June 8, 2008

I think they're only interested in fruit. I do periodic stink bug control by walking round my tomatoes with a bucket of water. Any bugs I see get knocked into the bucket then disposed of!

tomatoguy · June 8, 2008

Seems early to me, too. Here on the southern end of Zone 6B, we don't usually get them until late July. The aphids are definitely here, though.

mater

jenn_sc · June 10, 2008

I've found two so far on the same plant, where the first fruits are about to start turning red.

I HATE stinkbugs.

KKinAL · July 11, 2008

what does stink bug damage look like? I've had some tomatoes with white /discolored spots on them & i've seen a few stinkbugs.

bcday · July 11, 2008

Just saw the first stinkbug of the season a couple of days ago hanging out in the flower bed next to the mater patch, just waiting for the first ripe mater. I was out scouting for Japanese Beetles with can of soapy water in hand and tried to catch the **** critter, but it was too quick and got away.

feldon30 · July 12, 2008

Two leaf-footed bugs "joined at the hip" so to speak:

Stink Bug:

I've seen stink bugs on citrus, cucumbers, and tomatoes. They will sometimes suck juice out of the stems of the plants as well, but their favorite is to suck the juice out of green tomatoes, leaving corky white spots behind.

Ruth_10 · July 13, 2008

They've been out here for some time. Hate those suckers. I find them most often on the underside of the lower leaves of zucchini or other squash-type plants.

June 8, 2008	#1
Tomatovator Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Pennsylvania Zone 6 Posts: 461	Saw a stink bug today....Way early, no?? I saw a stink bug today and was able to dispose of it but in SW Pennsylvania I didn't think we even had any of these guys around till the end of the summer. I've got a few blossoms opening up now but no tomatoes that can be seen. Do these bugs hurt the plants or just the fruits? Seems way too early for them to be around anyway.

June 8, 2008	#2
Raymondo Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Saumarez Ponds, NSW, Australia Posts: 946	I think they're only interested in fruit. I do periodic stink bug control by walking round my tomatoes with a bucket of water. Any bugs I see get knocked into the bucket then disposed of! __________________ Ray

July 12, 2008	#7
feldon30 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 5,346	Two leaf-footed bugs "joined at the hip" so to speak: Stink Bug: I've seen stink bugs on citrus, cucumbers, and tomatoes. They will sometimes suck juice out of the stems of the plants as well, but their favorite is to suck the juice out of green tomatoes, leaving corky white spots behind. __________________ [SIZE="3"]I've relaunched my gardening website -- [B]TheUnconventionalTomato.com[/B][/SIZE] * [I][SIZE="1"]*I'm not allowed to post weblinks so you'll have to copy-paste it manually.[/SIZE][/I]

July 13, 2008	#8
Ruth_10 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MO z6a near St. Louis Posts: 1,349	They've been out here for some time. Hate those suckers. I find them most often on the underside of the lower leaves of zucchini or other squash-type plants. __________________ --Ruth Some say the glass half-full. Others say the glass is half-empty. To an engineer, it’s twice as big as it needs to be.

June 8, 2008	#3
tomatoguy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Rockvale, TN Zone 7A Posts: 526	Seems early to me, too. Here on the southern end of Zone 6B, we don't usually get them until late July. The aphids are definitely here, though. mater

June 10, 2008	#4
jenn_sc SPLATT™ Coordinator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Florence, SC Posts: 502	I've found two so far on the same plant, where the first fruits are about to start turning red. I HATE stinkbugs.

July 11, 2008	#5
KKinAL Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: McCalla, Alabama Posts: 60	what does stink bug damage look like? I've had some tomatoes with white /discolored spots on them & i've seen a few stinkbugs.

July 11, 2008	#6
bcday Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NY z5 Posts: 1,205	Just saw the first stinkbug of the season a couple of days ago hanging out in the flower bed next to the mater patch, just waiting for the first ripe mater. I was out scouting for Japanese Beetles with can of soapy water in hand and tried to catch the **** critter, but it was too quick and got away.