Stink bugs and leaf footed bugs

[b54red]

This past week I have seen two hatches of leaf footed bugs and I managed to kill some of the little juvenile buggers once I was sure that was what they were. It is very hard to tell the very small juvenile leaf footed bugs from small juvenile Assassin bugs which are good for the garden. After a couple of days I was able to see the rear legs widening out into the classic leaf footed bug look and started killing them by squashing them but by that time they were a little bit harder to kill than they would have been when they were tiny. I will try to get more of them today but I will be using a spray bottle with soapy water and Permethrin and just try to spot spray them.

I also saw my first two stink bugs of the season and was able to kill them both with the old thump and stomp method. We got a bit of rain yesterday and so I guess I'll be seeing a lot more of both in the coming weeks. I will try to control them with spot spraying them for as long as I can because I have had a resurgence of lady bugs also this past week and the spray I use for them if widely used will wipe them out. That may not be a problem as next weeks forecasts are for 90+ temps all week and that usually is enough for the ladybugs to look for cooler pickings. I guess they go to shrubs and areas that are more shady because every year they just disappear after the first few weeks of very hot weather. Once that happens I feel better about using my mix of soapy water, DE and Permethrin to eliminate stink bugs before they can ruin too many tomatoes and peppers.

Bill

[Rockporter]

I've had bunches of my cherry tomatoes ruined by those but I can't find them on my tomatoes. I spray too, but I can't find the buggers. So, decided to buy the Bugzooka and received it in the mail yesterday so thought I would do some bug searching this morning just as the sun comes up.

I saw a flying insect in the garden yesterday but wasn't sure if he was good or bad. He had a long black body, black transparent wings and a very dark red round head.

[gssgarden]

Red, Same for me here in Charlotte! VERY early for them! Caught a couple in a jar and flattened a couple stink bugs as well. I've tried Sevin but they seem to laugh at it unless they die later on.

Going to look for a different insecticide.

Greg

[b54red]

You need something like Permethrin to kill stink bugs and leaf footed bugs and the mix has to be stronger than what you would typically spray. I'm sure something like Malathion would work but I prefer not to use something that strong in my garden unless absolutely necessary. I have found that for spraying large areas with lots of stink bugs and or leaf footed bugs that a solution of 2/3 cup of food grade DE mixed with water in a separate container then strained into the sprayer then add 2 tablespoons of Dawn dish washing liquid and a good dose of Permethrin will really put a dent in them. The only problem with it is it will also put a dent in any beneficial insects in the garden.

I went out this morning with my quart spray bottle with a mix of Dawn and Permethrin in it and went hunting. I didn't find any stink bugs but I did wipe out about a dozen juvenile leaf footed bugs. Using this method of just spot spraying the insects works well while the population of pests is small and it doesn't harm the good bugs. Of course sooner or later the population of pests will explode as it does each summer and I will have to resort to the above mix and spray everything with it. Usually only have to so this a couple of times a season to keep the bad bugs from overwhelming me. I also found a big fat army type worm on a tomato plant and squished him. I guess it is time to spray again with BC and hope it will keep those nasty things in check.

Seven probably will not work on leaf footed bugs or stink bugs.

Bill

[gssgarden]

Bill, the only time it worked was when I sprayed some
Sevin in a jar and I captured them! Took about a hour but they died. lol


Greg

[Rockporter]

Got one of them buggers with the bugzooka today while dining on cucumber flowers.


http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/g...&A/p&dc_12.htm

[b54red]

I'm not sure that is a leaf footed bug in that picture because you can't see the back legs. I find it nearly impossible to tell Assassin bugs from leaf footed bugs except for the widening lower rear leg which is a certain tell for leaf footed bugs. If you go online there are so many different variations of the two bugs that you need to be an entomologist to be sure what you are dealing with sometimes. There are also other bugs that are very similar to the two of them to further confuse things.

I almost killed an Assassin bug the other day until I noticed it had thin rear legs. I love Assassin bugs they really help with bad bugs but don't pick them up as they can give you a bit of a sting. One year several years ago I had an abundance of them in the garden and had almost no pests that year then the next year I only saw two all season and I was swamped with bad bugs.

Bill

[Rockporter]

It was definitely a leaf footed bug, this one right here.


http://bugguide.net/images/raw/GHAH2...IHGZMHGZHL.jpg

[b54red]

Yep. That is definitely a leaf footed bug. Watch for the juveniles which are usually and orange or reddish color. They will generally stay together on the plant until they are larger but are easy to spot kill at that stage. The only problem is they look so much like juvenile Assassin bugs until they get about a half inch long and the back legs develop. I watched a cluster of them until I started to see the widening of the lower back leg and then blasted them all gathered on one cucumber the other day. I have done this with several groups of them so far this year and it has slowed the population drastically. I have only killed about a dozen adults or near adults so far this year. I have also killed about a dozen baby stink bugs and one adult.

I lost about a dozen big tomatoes this past week to army type worms boring into them even though I have kept them well dosed with BT every four or five days. If this keeps up the loses will become unacceptable and the Sevin will have to be used. I'm hoping most of the fruit that got ruined were invaded during that 4 day rainy spell last week and I won't have to resort to the Sevin. The BT has done a fairly good job of killing back those little foliage worms that show up first on the undersides of leaves by the hundreds but every day I still find a few leaves with some live ones on them.

Bill
Bill

[Rockporter]

Okay, thanks Bill. I will definitely keep an eye out for them. Haven't seen any yet even though I am sure they have to be there if I had an adult on the vine. I sure don't want damage to my cucumbers.

[Rockporter]

Went out looking for some bugs today and couldn't find any. I did see an anole sitting on a cucumber leaf swaying in the gentle breeze. It was so cute so I just let him do his job, I am sure he is keeping some of those things at bay. I wish all the anole hanging around my tomatoes would get more bugs for me.

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/g...reen_anole.htm