Stink Bugs – On Fruit Trees

Q: I have noticed a huge explosion in the population of stink bugs. I was assuming the cold weather would drive them away. How are they expanding so fast and are they going to be a nuisance?

A: Like other invasive species, stinkbug populations expand rapidly when conditions are good. The brown marmorated stinkbug has been a terrible pest in the Northeast. The weather for this new pest has been great in Georgia for three years running. They have  definitely become a nuisance in Georgia. They feed on all fruits, making pockmarks in the skin.

These creatures, along with their kudzu bug kin, have made us a “stinky state”! I have lots of  details on brown marmorated stinkbug at BMSB in GA.

These insects are tough to control. Read the labels for spinosad (click for examples), carbaryl (click for examples or permethrin (click for examples) and read the label care3fully to see if they might be useful in your situation.

Brown marmorated stinkbug

lumpy peach caused by stink bug feeding

BMSB on peach

BMSB on peach

BMSB damage on peach

BMSB damage on peach

 

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