Some sort of insect is damaging my tomatoes. My neighbor told me they are stink bugs. What should I do? AR

Stink bugs are at their peak about now, so your neighbor is likely correct. Their unfortunate name comes from the fact that they can release a strong odor when disturbed. We have a couple of different kinds of stink bugs here; green ones and brown ones. Both varieties grow to between 1/2 and 2/3 of an inch in length and if you have sufficient numbers, they can do some damage.

Stink bugs overwinter as adults on the ground under, plant debris, leaves, or weeds. They become active in the spring and begin to feed. Stink bugs will feed on over 50 different varieties plants. Their preferred hosts are almost all wild or native, but as they build up in numbers, they can move on to several vegetable crops including okra, beans, and tomatoes.

Stink bugs have what we call piercing-sucking mouth parts which means they insert these straw-like mouth parts into the plant or fruit and suck out juices. Doing this on a tomato for example will cause the fruit to develop hard, whitish tissue beneath the feeding site.

On young green fruit, damage may appear as dark pinpricks surrounded by a lighter colored area that remains green or even turns yellow as the fruit ripens. Very young fruits may grow in deformed ways. Damaged fruits are safe to eat but may not taste like you expect a tomato to taste and most certainly, these damaged fruits will not be popular at farmer’s markets.

In the spring, each female stink bug can deposit several hundred eggs in mid to late June. When the eggs are first laid, the eggs of the green stink bug are yellow to green and later turn pink to grey. The brown stink bug eggs are whiteish and kettle shaped. The young nymphs of green and brown stink bugs are shaped like their adult counterparts. Green stink bug nymphs are primarily black when they are small but grow into their green color. Ironically brown stink bug nymphs are light green in color when young. After hatching, stink bugs begin to feed near one another, but then spread out as they mature.

Organic methods for controlling stink bugs would include the use of row covers (these should be removed once flowering begins), hand picking, sticky traps, or spraying with neem oil or pyrethrum. Insecticidal soap can also be used successfully when used on younger nymphs. Be sure all spray applications include spraying under the leaves. As always, read the label of any product you use to be sure it is appropriate for your intended application. And spray in the early morning or late evening to avoid pollinators. Good luck.

You can get answers to all your gardening questions by calling the Tulsa Master Gardeners Help Line at 918-746-3701, dropping by our Diagnostic Center at 4116 E. 15th Street, or by emailing us at mg@tulsamastergardeners.org.