Stink Bugs - Harmful or Not!!

[Dan Ponton]

I have a lot of Stink Bugs congregating on a few of my plants. Are they harmful? They don't seem to be eating the plants. Someone told me they will eat the produce after it develops.

[JRComito]

It sounds like you have leaf jumpers, which I believe are beneficial because they eat aphids. Maybe post a photo of them and someone can help ID.

[Lonnie Kirkman]

I had a lot on my squash last year didnt seem to hurt them

[Ron Thompson]

Here is an IFAS article on stink bugs and leaf footed bugs - both of which can be problematic. I've been battling them on my tomatoes (a losing battle so far)

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in534

[TCLynx]

There are many different kinds of Stink Bugs, some are harmful (they suck juices out of your plants and fruits) and some are predatory and hence, beneficial.  How to tell which is which, I wish I knew myself.

[Steve Bradbury]

The sacrificial brugmansia which attracts tomato eating caterpillars also seems to work on the stink bugs.....I found 2 on one of them last week, none anywhere else...

[Ron Thompson]

brugmansia?

It's 4:30am and I'm likely missing the obvious but what is brugmansia?

[TCLynx]

Angel's Trumpets

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brugmansia

[Ron Thompson]

Ok - big flowering plant.  What about it? does it repel stuff, attract predators or ???  Nothing in the article about it being used in gardens.

[TCLynx]

Steve seems to be saying it seems to work well as a trap or capture plant (ya know attract the pests to this other plant to help keep them off your veggies)

[Steve Bradbury]

Thats exactly what I'm saying TC. The trumpets are easy to start from cuttings, so we made 20 plants in gallon size pots, I keep half in the greenhouse near the tomatoes etc, the other half outside.........if I get bugs in the greenhouse, they gravitate to the trumpets rather than my tomatoes or sweet potatoes...I hand pick the bugs from the trumpets  and get rid of them...........and when or if they get ratty from being bug chewed, I swap them out for the others that have fared better outside and have more yummy foliage.

I found this whole thing out totally by accident when I noticed some striped small caterpillars on the trumpets that went rogue on my tomatoes and sweet potatoes last year........the tomatoes were totally devoid of bugs, even tho they were a foot away from the trumpets . the same holds true for a morning glory bush..the bugs just love them.  ( Ipomoea carnea Jaq.

Anyway, it keeps the bugs off my veggies and fruits, no pesticides are needed...being the pragmatist I am, I will swap out some flowering plants for a pile of tasty veggies any day!!! LOL

[Ron Thompson]

Thanks Steve, that is exactly the type of info I can use. Now to find some.

Steve Bradbury said:

Thats exactly what I'm saying TC. The trumpets are easy to start from cuttings, so we made 20 plants in gallon size pots, I keep half in the greenhouse near the tomatoes etc, the other half outside.........if I get bugs in the greenhouse, they gravitate to the trumpets rather than my tomatoes or sweet potatoes...I hand pick the bugs from the trumpets  and get rid of them...........and when or if they get ratty from being bug chewed, I swap them out for the others that have fared better outside and have more yummy foliage.

I found this whole thing out totally by accident when I noticed some striped small caterpillars on the trumpets that went rogue on my tomatoes and sweet potatoes last year........the tomatoes were totally devoid of bugs, even tho they were a foot away from the trumpets . the same holds true for a morning glory bush..the bugs just love them.  ( Ipomoea carnea Jaq.

Anyway, it keeps the bugs off my veggies and fruits, no pesticides are needed...being the pragmatist I am, I will swap out some flowering plants for a pile of tasty veggies any day!!! LOL

[George Johnson]

Try using food grade only Diatomaceous Earth. Spray your plants down with water and dust them with it. It acts like shards of glass to bugs and shreds up their exoskeleton thus allowing them to dehydrate to death. Will not harm fish, pets, children and you can actually eat it.