Yesterday, my Robin messsaged me that her tomatoes were not looking as good as they had been. She found a few stink bugs, and then she saw something that looked like a ladybug, but not quite. It turned out that the stink bugs do eat leafy plants, tomatoes included, and the ladybug-lookalike was an Asian beetle, which is carnivorous, so would be okay to have. However, apparently , nothing eats stink bugs because of that awful smell (except for @Bobby Cole , but that is a different story thread) , so they have no natural enemies. Since Robin keeps her house all closed up, we are not even sure how the bugs got in; but she said the Aerogardens were on her fireplace mantle, and I wondered if maybe the pesky things came down her chimney. So, tonight, (last thing before bedtime) I am checking the plant progress in the Aerogardens, and sure enough........a huge old stink bug was in the large Aerogarden. I flushed him down the toilet, and then went to check the Sprout Aerogarden, which is where the newest tomato starts are growing, and darned if there was not another stink bug in that one, and looked like he was chewing on one of the baby plants ! Thought I should just let everyone know, especially the other Southerners here, watch out for your little plants and bushes, because the enemy is attacking. PS They have a "spike" in their stomach, and the nasty little critters will stick you with it if you pick them up and they can get to you. One of these got me on the tender part of my finger, and it still hurts, so beware of that danger, as well.
Ive never seen one either. I don't see any bugs anyway. I have Pest Control. I did make sure though that whatever they sprayed wasn't harmful for my dog.
Ugh, I despise those stinky things. They love my balcony garden. They're always near the Mandevillas, especially. I see them there more than at the other plants. I don't know if they're so prevalent because of the pecan tree that overhands my balcony, or if my plants have attracted them. I've never had one inside the house, that would really freak me out. I keep an old broom on the balcony (the kind with the plastic wiry type bristles) and I sweep them away when they get close.
I spoke too soon. I Googled it and found there are a whole bunch of different shapes but all are similar. I have seen this bug but can't remember where. Fortunately.
I've heard the name, and it might have been at my sisters in NJ or my son in Illinois. Now I'm going to google it and see if I have them. Which means that I won't stop pest control. Just looked, if I see one I have to report it. http://www.co.fresno.ca.us/uploaded..._Commissioner/PDF/brownmarmoratedstinkbug.pdf
I've only experienced them from fall to winter when they are seeking warmth. I have shared a couple of stories about them. Lately I have been finding dead ones around the house. I guess I wasn't feeding them enough .
There aren't many sections of stem in the picture I posted, but the stinkbugs are pretty much the same exact color, and so I often don't even see them when they're right in front of me. I've taken and posted pictures of the Mandevilla blossoms without even realizing there's a stink bug in the picture, and then when I get them blown up on the computer monitor, I'll spot a stink bug mixed in with the stems and leaves.