News on stink bugs

Last fall, I posted information on stink bugs as they were damaging the produce in my garden. I am wondering if they’re going to be an even worse problem this year and intend to keep my eyes open for the little stinkers (no pun intended).

They damaged our artichokes and tomatoes last summer, which did not make me happy one bit!

Just today, I read an interesting article on the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug that came out of Washington State University (the article, not the bug). It has useful information and photographs that will help you identify them. If you have a moment, it’s definitely worth reading so you can be on alert for them in your own garden this year.

The important thing to know is that there are native stink bugs that are beneficial insects in the garden because they eat some of the “bad bugs” that can damage our crops. So we don’t want to kill every stink bug we see, thinking they’re all the bad guys.

I used the photo above with my Sept. post yet am thinking the green stink bug on the left might be one of the native stink bugs. Hmm… I’ll have to investigate that further and get back to you.

In the meantime, take a look at the photos in the WSU article so you can see what the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug looks like.

Also, I’d be interested in hearing from you if you do have problems with them this year. Just add a comment to this post or drop me an email at inthegarden@live.com. Thank you.