stink bug question

caascher2 · September 10, 2007

I have noticed stink bugs on my melon vines. I am getting ready to put them out because the melons are pretty much done producing now. Do I have to do anything after pulling out everything or will the stink bugs leave since there won't be any place for them to hang out? Do I need to treat the soil? How do I prevent them from coming next year?
Thanks for any information. I've never heard of a stink bug nor seen a stink bug before I started reading the forum.
Carol

Tomatovator · September 11, 2007

Me either! The first time I saw a stink bug in my garden was the day I read a thread about them posted here. They must be monitoring this site.

barkeater · September 11, 2007

Pulling out your vines will just make them move somewhere else - like your tomatoes. You can spray to kill what you see, but as they feed on so many different plants, you will not get rid of them all by spraying your garden. They are all around you.

I've found they target one or two varieties of tomatoes each year almost exclusively, so if you grow enough variety, you'll only lose a couple.

Of course, it may be a different story where stink bugs are really prolific. That is not the situation with any bug here, except for aphids in late corn.

Suze · September 11, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by caascher2

I have noticed stink bugs on my melon vines. I am getting ready to put them out because the melons are pretty much done producing now. Do I have to do anything after pulling out everything or will the stink bugs leave since there won't be any place for them to hang out?

Depends. Probably not, because as bark said, they will probably move to other plants they like in your garden.

Quote:

Originally Posted by caascher2

Do I need to treat the soil? How do I prevent them from coming next year?

I'm not aware of a soil treatment for them, or if it would even be practical or helpful.

I sometimes do preventative spraying early in the season to control the population before it gets out of hand and have pretty good results with it. But they do come back later in the season (if you have a long season).

Another thing I've done in the past with good to even very good results is to grow millet as a trap crop, and then nuke them on the millet. They really like millet, and will tend to preferentially go to it before tomatoes and other vegetables.

Gimme3 · September 11, 2007

There are good predatious stink bugs, and...unfortunately, far too many species that simply stink...)))
If u got a immediate future plan in mind for the melon-growin area....go ahead...if u dont....an u got the serious desire to halt stinkbug breeding...use it as a trap crop. Best wishes...either way...)))

The best impact you can have on stinkbugs...is through observation, next season...
They enter a time of breeding, during which, its very easy to squash both of em in one effort...an it pays, to realize that...))) If hand-squashin seems queasy....a coffee can w/soapy water , wielded properly, can be a fine reducer...as well.Jus be quick, an knock em off into it.

Suze · September 12, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gimme3

There are good predatious stink bugs

Hi, Gimme -- hope you had a good season.

Are you talking about wheel bugs / assassin bugs (which look a lot like stinkbugs), or something else?

http://bugguide.net/node/view/454

MsCowpea · September 20, 2007

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...WN:en%26sa%3DN

Suze, Gimme is talking about the 'good' kind of stinkbug. He has mentioned that he has seen them in his garden before.

tigahb8 · December 25, 2007

The best answer I've found is clearing all areas around the
garden of weeds and a regular spraying (I use Neem).

September 10, 2007	#1
caascher2 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Va. Beach, VA Posts: 178	stink bug question I have noticed stink bugs on my melon vines. I am getting ready to put them out because the melons are pretty much done producing now. Do I have to do anything after pulling out everything or will the stink bugs leave since there won't be any place for them to hang out? Do I need to treat the soil? How do I prevent them from coming next year? Thanks for any information. I've never heard of a stink bug nor seen a stink bug before I started reading the forum. Carol

September 11, 2007	#5
Gimme3 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Northeast Georgia, USA Posts: 348	There are good predatious stink bugs, and...unfortunately, far too many species that simply stink...))) If u got a immediate future plan in mind for the melon-growin area....go ahead...if u dont....an u got the serious desire to halt stinkbug breeding...use it as a trap crop. Best wishes...either way...))) The best impact you can have on stinkbugs...is through observation, next season... They enter a time of breeding, during which, its very easy to squash both of em in one effort...an it pays, to realize that...))) If hand-squashin seems queasy....a coffee can w/soapy water , wielded properly, can be a fine reducer...as well.Jus be quick, an knock em off into it. __________________ ....Can you tell a green Field.....from a cold steel rail ? Roger Waters, David Gilmour

September 20, 2007	#7
MsCowpea Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: S. FLorida / Zone 10 Posts: 369	http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...WN:en%26sa%3DN Suze, Gimme is talking about the 'good' kind of stinkbug. He has mentioned that he has seen them in his garden before. __________________ "When we kill off the natural enemies of a pest we inherit their work." Carl Huffaker

September 11, 2007	#2
Tomatovator Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Pennsylvania Zone 6 Posts: 461	Me either! The first time I saw a stink bug in my garden was the day I read a thread about them posted here. They must be monitoring this site.

September 11, 2007	#3
barkeater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NE Kingdom, VT - Zone 3b Posts: 1,439	Pulling out your vines will just make them move somewhere else - like your tomatoes. You can spray to kill what you see, but as they feed on so many different plants, you will not get rid of them all by spraying your garden. They are all around you. I've found they target one or two varieties of tomatoes each year almost exclusively, so if you grow enough variety, you'll only lose a couple. Of course, it may be a different story where stink bugs are really prolific. That is not the situation with any bug here, except for aphids in late corn.

December 25, 2007	#8
tigahb8 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Walker, Louisiana US Posts: 14	The best answer I've found is clearing all areas around the garden of weeds and a regular spraying (I use Neem).