Stink Bugs

What To Do BEFORE They Devour Fruit Trees & Gardens

Brown marmorated stink bugs are on the move in gardens in Connecticut, though you may see the damage left behind by the shield-shapped menace until July or August.

Stink bugs’ preferred diet comes from fruit orchards, ornamental trees and garden vegetables like tomatoes, peppers and sweet corn.

Found in Connecticut and 46 others, stink bugs are an enemy to fruit growers. Stink bugs can cause severe damage in their 50-day lifespan with their piercing, sucking mouthparts – tiny shields about a half-inch long and wide, which they curiusly tuck between their legs when they are not feeding.

When stink bugs feed on crops, damage can include everything from bruises and blemishes to aborted sweet corn kernels to a change in the sugar levels in some fruits. These voracious eaters have caused severe agricultural and nuisance damage in just under a dozen states, mainly those in the mid-Atlantic region, but also in Michigan and Oregon. Another 15 states report agricultural and nuisance problems.

Right now, stink bugs are in various stages of development. Adult stink bugs are busy reproducing and laying eggs – light green and barrel-shaped. You’ll find them attached side-by-side in masses of 20 or 30 eggs on the underside of the host plant’s leaves.

If you see egg masses, scrape them off and throw them in soapy water, or just remove the leaf and dip it in the water solution.

Your arsenal against stink bugs can include everything from commercially available traps to capture adult stink bugs to using landscaping to deter stink bugs. Marigolds and sunflowers attract insects that feed on stink bug eggs and larvae. Stink bugs don’t like mint, so consider planting some around your crops. Or, mix a solution of water and dishwash detergent and spray it directly on the bugs.