Stink bugs are triangular shaped and green or brown. Green stink bugs are about 14-19mm long whereas brown ones are slighly smaller, 15-15mm long.Â
Brown Stink Bug-Marlin E. Rice (left), Red-shoulder Stink Bug (right)-Jack Kelly Clark
Adults are strong fliers and can move readily from crop to crop. Like thier name says…..they emit a terrible odour. These guys are gross!
Southern Green Stink Bug-nymph (left), Adult (right)
Stinkbugs are found throughout the United States and in parts of Southern Canada. Brown stink bugs found all over and green ones are mostly found in Texas and as far as the Atlantic coast. In some states there can be more than one generation a year.
Nymphs and Eggs of Stink Bugs-photo Auburn University
They overwinter in protected areas, garden debris and other trash lying around emerge and lay eggs. The eggs are yellow to green and very tiny. They emerge into nymphs and eventually full grown in host plants.
Diet and Damage
They feed on many ornamentals, vines, weeds, and many cultivated crops. They feed heavily on weeds and then move on to other garden crops like soybean, beans, corn, peas, okra and anything else they can find nearby. As well as damaging plants they can cause spots and blemishes on fruits. They transmit yeast-spot disease organism. They cause distortion and discolouration in fruits. They can wreck havoc in garden if not controlled at the earliest signs.
1) Introduce Predators
Stinkbugs biggest enemies are birds. Attract birds with birdhouses and bird baths around your garden. Tachinid flies and parasitic wasps are also stink bug destroyers. They lay eggs on larva and eggs eventually killing the bugs.
2) Hand Pick
Gently shake the plants they are on and they will fall to the ground. Placing a piece of cardboard with something sticky on it will keep them there. Destroy the pests. Crush the eggs as soon as you see them appear. Stomp method is always good.
3) Soap Sprays
Insecticidal soap or try this homemade recipe
Liquefy 3 bulbs of garlic and 5 cayenne peppers in a blender with two cups of water. Strain off all the solids and add enough water to make a gallon of liquid – This is your concentrate. Use only 1/4 cup of concentrate to a make gallon of solution. For an additional punch, add a tablespoon of vegetable oil or horticultural oil to each gallon of water in your sprayer. Be sure and wear gloves when working with peppers.