Stink bug alert N. Texans!

[Dewayne mater]

Well, so much for the cold winter killing the stink bugs. I just killed about 75 stink bugs in the back yard. None were full grown, but, getting there. Now it just smells to high heavens out there!

Strangely, none were on my tomato plants, but instead were hanging out on the surfaces that had been warmed by the sun like the bricks and the side walk. This is the earliest I've ever had them show up here by quite a bit. This is just a warning to be on alert and vigilant because they are out there now!

Dewayne Mater

[RootLoops]

uugggggh i hate these things! thanks asia

[b54red]

I rarely see more than a few stinkbugs; but I'm worried about this year because I have already seen more in the past week than I usually see all season.

Bill

[newgardener_tx]

I saw too big stink bugs on the raised bed wood, not on the plants, I used scissors to cut them. I also saw a couple little worms(brown color) live in the tomato leaves when I was trying to open up a couple curled leaves. Are they the babies of the stink bugs? I am in central Texas.

[RootLoops]

found a big one this morning, i am not looking forward to these for sure

[TomNJ]

Just spray them with soapy water - kills them fast, and it's fun! Killed a few dozen in our bedroom last night here in Virginia, but haven't seen any in the garden yet.

TomNJ/VA

[Dewayne mater]

Tom - do you just spray them with a hand sprayer with water and dishwashing soap? Right now, I crush each one with a large river rock. The stink is brutal, but there is a sense of satisfaction of eliminating the noxious invasive pest!

Dewayne mater

[TomNJ]

Yes, I just add about a tablespoon or two of Dawn Ultra into a one quart spray bottle with warm water and sprayed the suckers. It dissolves a protective layer on their body and causes rapid death. Just one spritz is enough. Sometimes they will fall, sometimes they stay adhered to the wall and die in place. It is satisfying, and there is no smell. Alternatively you can sweep or toss them into a bucket of soapy water.

TomNJ/VA

[RootLoops]

there isn't much that soap water wont kill. i use it all the time for a multitude of bugs. most places you see tell you soap water is only good for soft bodied stuff like aphids but i've killed lots of stuff with it. and besides that it's just soap, not a chemical designed to kill that you're spraying. i use a strong concentration for red wasps they are usually dead before they hit the floor. if it's too strong it will hurt leaves, i usually use 20ml per gallon for the garden but i'll put a half cup a gallon for red wasps, less may kill them but i don't like to take chances with those

it seems that how it works is still poorly understood, i've read about the protective layer as well and there is also the thought that the soap causes the water to lose it's surface tension which prevents an air pocket from forming around the bug and drowning it by clogging it's spiracles

[b54red]

I like red wasps, except when they sting me, because they prey on all kinds of caterpillars in the garden and I'm sure other insects. I once saw one trying to carry a half grown hornworm. It looked like an overloaded helicopter and it kept bumping along the ground and then flying for a foot or two. Of course when they nest right above my head under my shed where I have to stand I will resort to killing them. Once they pick a spot to build a nest it is hard to get them to leave the immediate area. I found spraying a little WD-40 on the nest will keep them away and it works on carpenter bees also.

Bill

[RootLoops]

yeah i hate to kill any wasps too, they get in our walls and shed though and i have to kill those. my favorite are the dirt dobbers, black widows are at the top of their food list. oh and those wasps that lay eggs in tomato worms! i hope they will return this year

[b54red]

I hope they don't have any hornworms to lay eggs in. Hey nothing wrong with a little wishful thinking.

Bill

[Vespertino]

Sorry to hear about the invasion stinkbugs. I read the same thing about the freeze supposedly killing them off this year, I guess they're a tougher insect than thought... Or they're evolving *shudder*...

[KLorentz]

My niece found stink beetles here. Not to be confused with stink bugs. these are black beatles and smell absolutely hideous.

[Dewayne mater]

I've seen the beetles we called stink bugs as a kid around here too, but not this year. They are more oblong, black and well, beetle shaped. My memory of their stink is that they are similar to that of the invasive pest. These, sadly, are the grayish/brownish shield shaped body that is our dreaded marmorated stink bug which I believe were accidentally imported from China. They have been smaller than in some years, which I assume is because they are young. I'm happy that they haven't invaded my home and that they don't seem to be interest in the tomato plants so far, maybe because I only have a few small tomatoes so far?

Dewayne mater