Stink Bugs on Tomatoes

Stink bugs are small insects that are destructive to garden plants, including tomatoes, sorghum, millets, wheat and sunflower. As of date, more than 4,500 species of stink bugs are identified by entomologists. One of the stink bug facts is that it contains glands in the thoracic region. When frightened or in case of danger signs, they release a foul-smelling substance to drive away the predators. Hence, the name stink bugs are assigned to these flying insects. More information regarding stink bugs on tomatoes are discussed in the following paragraphs.

Identify Stink Bugs on Tomatoes

Possessing a protective shield that covers the body, stink bugs or shield bugs are very easy to identify. Before you get busy with controlling stink bugs on tomatoes, first check for the infestation signs and confirm their presence. Search for the insects in the plants parts, underneath the leaves, stem and fruits. Those plants infested by these foul-smelling insects will exhibit signs, like discoloration of green tomatoes and formation of whitish or yellowish marks underneath the skin of ripe tomatoes. If such symptoms are present, most probably your tomato plants are attacked by stink bugs and you need to implement pest control methods to get rid of them.

How to Get Rid of Stink Bugs on Tomatoes?

Some types of stink bugs are grouped under major garden pests in North America and many other parts of the world. So, don't be surprised if you come across stink bugs on tomato plants or other garden crops. They suck the plant sap and juices from fruits, thus affecting the quality of fruits. In order to save your garden plants from these destructive pests, act immediately without delay. Otherwise, infestation may spread to other plants in the vegetable garden, after which it will be very difficult to handle effectively.

Avoid Overcrowding
A good step for controlling stink bugs in garden is by identifying the factors that favor infestation and avoiding them. One of such aspects is overcrowding of the plants and thus, leading to less exposure to sunlight. So, to reduce infestation of stink bugs on tomatoes, trim weak branches and cross branching twigs. This along with weed control tips will increase air circulation and at the same time, permit sunlight penetration.

Cultural Control
Another effective way of stink bug control is planting other crops near the tomato plants, which will help in luring these harmful pests. Some best crops that distract stink bugs away from tomatoes are sorghum, millet and sunflower. Most probably, the bug will attack the trap plants and spare your tomatoes.

Manual Killing
No doubt, stink bugs are small in size, but that does not mean that you can detect them. So, look for them properly and consider killing stink bugs on tomatoes. If you are allergic to their smell, wear protective hand gloves and use a pair of tweezers to remove them. Also, do not forget to inspect the underside of the tomato leaves for eggs that are laid in groups.

Repelling Solution
Instead of using chemical based pesticides, you can prepare homemade sprays from vegetable oil or essential oil. All you need is to mix oil and water in the ratio 1:2. Fill this mixture in a spray bottle and apply on the infested tomato plants. The strong-smelling oil repels insects from the leaves, stem and fruits of tomato plants, thus helping in stink bugs control.

Homemade Sprays
Coming to effective ways to get rid of stink bugs, spraying Kaolin mixed with water gives a protective coating to the plants parts. Another method is to prepare nicotine solution to control them. But, remember to soak the tomatoes for some time in water and rinse properly before using for consumption purpose.

For gardeners, it is quite disheartening to notice stink bug infestation in the tomato plants. Whenever possible, avoid using insecticides and proceed with natural approaches to control stink bugs on tomatoes. By doing so, you can still enjoy chemical free, organic tomatoes from your garden.