Looks like a bad year for stink bugs.

b54red · June 22, 2016

I have been seeing increasing numbers of stink bugs of all kinds for about a month now. I decided not to wait any longer because they were starting to sting my tomatoes and bell peppers. I used the spray that worked so well last year to rid myself of these horrible little creatures and I am hoping it will work as well this season.

I mix between a cup and a cup and a half of food grade DE in a gallon jug filled 2/3 full with water. I then shake it vigorously for a few minutes or until my arms get tired. I then pour it through a very fine stainless steal strainer into my backpack sprayer. I then add a very heavy dose of Permethrin along with 4 tablespoons of Dawn dishwashing liquid. I then fill to the 2 gallon or slightly more mark on my sprayer and shake it a bit. I then spray all my plants with this mix along with the mulch underneath making sure to get the bottoms of the leaves. I did this about 5 days ago and haven't seen a single stink bug since.

Last year I had to use this mix twice over the entire season to keep the stinkbugs, leaf footed bugs, whiteflies and aphids under control. I'm afraid I may have to use it more often this year since the influx of stinkbugs came much sooner and in much greater numbers this year. When I was picking a few bell peppers last week every one I picked had at least 4 small stinkbugs on them so I knew I had to act before they got larger and really did some damage. I also was finding them all over my tomatoes.

This mix is very deadly because it keeps on working due to the fine layer of DE that gets on everything. Until it gets washed off by a heavy rain it is very effective at taking out the juveniles of all the insects both good and bad. I waited longer than I should because I like to wait til my beneficial insects have moved on which they did about two weeks ago when the temps hit over 100 for a couple of days. I don't know where they go but it must just be too hot in the garden for them to thrive even though there seemed to be plenty of food for them. My garden was wrapped up in ladybugs from March thru May but I haven't seen a one since the end of May so with the stinkbug invasion I thought it was time to bring out the big guns and see if I could get them under control before they damaged too much of my fruit. I hope it works as well as last year or hopefully even better.

Bill

June 22, 2016	#1
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	Looks like a bad year for stink bugs. I have been seeing increasing numbers of stink bugs of all kinds for about a month now. I decided not to wait any longer because they were starting to sting my tomatoes and bell peppers. I used the spray that worked so well last year to rid myself of these horrible little creatures and I am hoping it will work as well this season. I mix between a cup and a cup and a half of food grade DE in a gallon jug filled 2/3 full with water. I then shake it vigorously for a few minutes or until my arms get tired. I then pour it through a very fine stainless steal strainer into my backpack sprayer. I then add a very heavy dose of Permethrin along with 4 tablespoons of Dawn dishwashing liquid. I then fill to the 2 gallon or slightly more mark on my sprayer and shake it a bit. I then spray all my plants with this mix along with the mulch underneath making sure to get the bottoms of the leaves. I did this about 5 days ago and haven't seen a single stink bug since. Last year I had to use this mix twice over the entire season to keep the stinkbugs, leaf footed bugs, whiteflies and aphids under control. I'm afraid I may have to use it more often this year since the influx of stinkbugs came much sooner and in much greater numbers this year. When I was picking a few bell peppers last week every one I picked had at least 4 small stinkbugs on them so I knew I had to act before they got larger and really did some damage. I also was finding them all over my tomatoes. This mix is very deadly because it keeps on working due to the fine layer of DE that gets on everything. Until it gets washed off by a heavy rain it is very effective at taking out the juveniles of all the insects both good and bad. I waited longer than I should because I like to wait til my beneficial insects have moved on which they did about two weeks ago when the temps hit over 100 for a couple of days. I don't know where they go but it must just be too hot in the garden for them to thrive even though there seemed to be plenty of food for them. My garden was wrapped up in ladybugs from March thru May but I haven't seen a one since the end of May so with the stinkbug invasion I thought it was time to bring out the big guns and see if I could get them under control before they damaged too much of my fruit. I hope it works as well as last year or hopefully even better. Bill