Vegetable Garden – Stink Bugs

Q: I have a small vegetable garden where I grow tomatoes, peppers, squash and eggplant. It has been infested by stink bugs for three years running. What can I use to control them that won’t hurt my honeybees?

A: Brown marmorated stinkbug has become a growing menace to gardens. It sticks its snout through the skin of nearly ripe vegetables and fruits and consumes the pulp while introducing rot-causing bacteria. The insect is extremely difficult to control. You can try spinosad (Captain Jacks Dead Bug Brew, etc.) but your sprays must start before the nymphs develop into adults. To protect your bees, apply pesticides at dusk when the insects are in their hives.