The Tomato Suck Bug

[ginger2778]

Also known as the tomato bug, Engytatus Modestus, Cyrtopeltus Modesta. Image from UCANR.EDU

This is my third year battling this little horror, nightmare.
If you have all your blossoms dropping off, this may be why. It finds the tenderest parts of flower stems and sucks the juices with its piercing sucking mouthparts, then the blossoms never develop or dry up and fall off, so not much fruit forms.

It burrows into stems to lay its eggs, see the red brown ridge in the stem? That area becomes weak and brittle, breaks easily. As an adult it has 2 well formed wings and simply flies away if you are trying to spray it. It is in the same general family as Stink and Lygus, and leaf footed bugs, with a hard shell that makes organic pesticides only of limited use.

I have found that a solution of 1 Tablespoon Neem, I use pure 100%neem, and 1 Tablespoon of liquid organic dish soap( organic not mandatory, soap is) mixed in 1 gallon water, then applied to the top 1-2 feet of all new growth, for 4-5 cycles every 4 days seems to do the trick. After all, this is war!
The reason for every 4 days is to get the newly hatched nymphs before they mature, and get really hard shells(exoskeletons), and grow wings. They only grow to about 1/4 inch length, start out very small, and are hard to see due to their color, same as the tomato stem.
CoastalBend here has posted good success with Spinosad.
Good luck if you get this guy, which is on the move, and spreading fast. Last year there was almost nothing about it online, now several articles, as his infestation spreads.
Nymphs almost adult are pictured here, looking very similar to aphids, with only wing buds showing. Note the reddish brown rings where eggs are, inside the stem, also note their piercing sucking mouthparts.

[jpop]

Thanks for the heads up Marsha, good luck.

[ContainerTed]

They look like green termites. They must be Termato-ites.

Thanks, Marsha. I'll look for them this year. I think I've seen something like those devils, but simply sprayed my usual routine of Garden Safe and went on. If I see them this time around, I'll do some photography.

[jillian]

Thanks for sharing this info.....I remember seeing a few of these last year and had no idea what they were. Great information.

[Barb_FL]

Great camera work! What are the black specks on the outside of the stem?

Thanks for the heads up.

[Gerardo]

Oh noooo! Not again. I'm sorry they returned. I've had my eyes open for them, as a matter of fact I'm gonna do a full inspection to be on the safe side.

What I found that worked excellent on these guys, for those with no aversion to chemicals, is Deltamethrin. Since they practically 86 every single flower and there will be no tomatoes for a while, it's relatively safe to use given it dissipates in about 14 days.

I avoid using it as much as possible, and will go through any regimen DE/Neem/soap/oil, however tedious. Unfortunately, it didn't eradicate them and I had to resort to the big ag weapons, as Marsha stated, it is WAR.

Hope they go away soon, and that the butcher's bill is but a few flowers!

These guys and whiteflies have been my crucible.

[dustdevil]

I noticed the one high up on the stem is smiling for the camera...what a cheeky little devil! Better use your sonic screwdriver on him

[Cole_Robbie]

I would Met52 the little suckers:
http://www.evergreengrowers.com/met5.../met52-ec.html

[greyghost]

Sorry you have to endure a pox like this but thanks for the alert. I'm not so
sure I would have thought they were so harmful. They look like a nymph for
a hopper type of insect. Thanks for the photo and the warning!

[zeroma]

I do not know this creature. Is it in Southern Ohio anyone know?

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

Great camera work! What are the black specks on the outside of the stem?

Thanks for the heads up.

Barb, it is a university photo that I borrowed. I dont know what the black spots are.

Zeroma, I know it is on both east and west coasts of the US, I don't know where else.

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by ContainerTed

They look like green termites. They must be Termato-ites.

Thanks, Marsha. I'll look for them this year. I think I've seen something like those devils, but simply sprayed my usual routine of Garden Safe and went on. If I see them this time around, I'll do some photography.

OMG- Termato-ites!

[Starlight]

Ugggggggg!!!!!!!!!!!! Another pest to look out for as if we don't already have enough.


Thanks for the information. Sometimes it is so amazing how something so little can do so much damage. Does jet spraying them with just soapy water not work like with aphids?


Termato-ites. That is so funny!

[Gerardo]

Originally Posted by Starlight

Ugggggggg!!!!!!!!!!!! Another pest to look out for as if we don't already have enough.


Thanks for the information. Sometimes it is so amazing how something so little can do so much damage. Does jet spraying them with just soapy water not work like with aphids?


Termato-ites. That is so funny!

I tried it, they seem to take it with ease.

I did an inspection on mine yesterday and found smaller (than these tomato bugs) blackish ones sitting on the bend point on lots of my flowers, so instead of trying to figure out friend/foe status I loaded up with DE/Neem and went at them. I'll try to take some pics if they're still around.

[Worth1]

I have two Texas mountain laurel trees not to be confused with mountain laurel up north.
This is a legume.
Tent caterpillars invaded both of them, I tried everything and ended up using Raid to kill them off.
When it hit them It looked like they were dancing to Carl Perkins, Go Cat GO.