Bug - Friend or Foe

[Barb_FL]

Found on a tomato plant leaves this morning. No chewing found.

Also finding beetles here and there on the plants; no chewing either.

[ginger2778]

FOE,THATS AN IMMATURE STINKBUG, it doesn't chew, it pierces and sucks, makes speckled fruit. Hate them.

[Worth1]

They also lay eggs under the leaves for more of the nasty devils to hatch.

Worth

[Barb_FL]

Thank you for getting back so fast; off to the executioner.

I rarely get stink bugs but when I do they are green and smaller/fatter. now I see the resemblance.

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

Thank you for getting back so fast; off to the executioner.

I rarely get stink bugs but when I do they are green and smaller/fatter. now I see the resemblance.

Yes, I just get the green ones too.

[ContainerTed]

Yes, definitely kill it. One of my hard and fast gardens rules is, "kill first and then identify".

[oakley]

Yikes, we had a run of those...dark ones in the house and it has been a problem all up the Eastern coast...hit hard just a few years ago. Even some tracking going on by University studies, etc.

They look harmless. Kill, kill.

[wildcat62]

Northern Kentucky has seen a explosion of those and ladybugs in the last few years. I've saw the side of our house covered in them.

[4season]

I had some green ones appear on the chard a year ago and went to identify on the web. There are hundreds of species. Luckily most of them ignore my tomato plants and head for the squash so they are in one area.

[PureHarvest]

Maybe squash would be a good trap crop for keeping stinkbugs off your tomatoes!

[4season]

Actually the stink bugs I have don't care about tomato plants. They specialize on squash and pumpkins, hardly even bother cucumbers.

[kurt]

The sooner you remove/dispatch them the better chance you have of them not establishing a "brood" in/around your house.Once inside the walls it is very hard to remove them.Check and fill any openings at home structure i.e.water,cable,electrical conduits and related pipe.Check all roof "breather"long screened vents(common Floridian practice)and yes they will swim through the "P"trap into bathroom areas.So place a screen over the bathroom roof vents(works for the Palmetto Bugs that swim also).Make sure any exhaust fans do have a smaller screen to thwart the critters.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by kurt

The sooner you remove/dispatch them the better chance you have of them not establishing a "brood" in/around your house.Once inside the walls it is very hard to remove them.Check and fill any openings at home structure i.e.water,cable,electrical conduits and related pipe.Check all roof "breather"long screened vents(common Floridian practice)and yes they will swim through the "P"trap into bathroom areas.So place a screen over the bathroom roof vents(works for the Palmetto Bugs that swim also).Make sure any exhaust fans do have a smaller screen to thwart the critters.

You make it sound like trying to keep out zombies.

Worth

[kurt]

My brother in law in PA(origin entry of the brown mar-mated stink bug)has been battling them for two years now.They invaded the whole county,they overwintered in his home,drove my sister nuts.He had two mini shop vacs dedicated to bug vacuuming(one upstairs/basement)When I visited he showed me pictures of the jars of dispatched bugs.I don't mind a bug or two,but thousands?Them and Kudzu would me my worst nightmare!

[clkeiper]

I have killed them ALL winter long this year (maybe 10 a week or so). no idea where they come from. Our house is not an old farmhouse, we built it 25 years ago. It is pretty tight, but my oh my, this year they are more than abundant.