My tomato plants have been attacked by stink bugs.
At this point in the growing season , I should have beautiful, healthy tomatoes.
I do not.
And as a quick aside- why not a more sophisticated sounding pest?
Stink bugs??
I have had every variety of insect and spider in my yard this gardening season, but I assumed we were friends.
We are not.
Over half of my tomatoes have been ruined.
So this afternoon I picked what I could salvage and because I am lazy efficient,
I loaded what I could into the front of my shirt and headed to the house. ( Our yard is an acre in size.)
This also allowed me to pretend for a moment that this was all a ‘little house on the prairie’ moment.
Everything was fine, and I was so proud of myself for making just one trip,
when two little stink bugs peeked out from underneath the tomatoes in my shirt.
I screamed,
dropped the tomatoes and ran into the house shaking my shirt.
My husband looked away from the baseball game he was watching long enough to laugh.
I am going to Scarlett O’Hara this and think about it tomorrow.
This is a stink bug.
Any suggestions?
So frustrating! I know water mixed with oil (olive, lavender) in a sprayer is a natural approach to pests.
ReplyDeleteDarn. I never realized stink bugs did bad things like that.
ReplyDeleteAround here we are covered in stink bugs! I may have seen 1 or maybe 2 in a summer before, but my son's house can have 20 lingering in his drapes in just one room. Everyone at the grocery store swapping stink bug stories and potential remedies. I know we found a spray at Lowe's especially for stink bugs, but I am not sure if it is working and I am sure it is not safe to spray on tomatoes! I just thought they were a BIG nuisance, I didn't know they were attacking gardens!!! We don't get tomatoes here for several weeks, but now I am scared! Darn those nasty stink bugs!!!!!
ReplyDeleteOh gosh, I never knew stink bugs got on tomatoes. Now another pest to worry about.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a kid, my grandpa used this powder and I am sorry I can't remember the name, but he put it on his tomatoes. I have used it and it does work wonders. It kills those kinds of beetles. I have tried the natural approach, and I have given up on that and just go for the dust. Beautiful garden.
To be truthful I had no idea they bothered tomatoes and know no treatment...hose them down? I hope you can find a solution before the attack every plant. At times having a garden can be so frustrating fighting insects and then having bad weather tossed into the mix.
ReplyDeleteHope you have a great week, Laura.
They are gross. What else can you say? In the past, they haven't bothered my tomatoes. Though, I have always had trouble with squash bugs destroying my vine garden plants. *sigh* It is always something.
ReplyDeleteIf you EVER find a solution, please post it.....we have been INUNDATED with them the past few years....we find them in our curtains, on the ceiling, in our beds, bathtubs, behind pictures on the wall, the ceiling fan, the porch, you name it....they're there. We catch them "manually"...a small water bottle or soda bottle with soapy water in it....scoot the opening of the bottle right under them and they usually drop right in, they're so dumb. Then put the lid on, shake like mad and go "BWAHAHAHA"! Of course, I don't go to my garden to do it, just around the house. As it is, I spend way too much time trying to get rid of them. GOOD LUCK!
ReplyDeleteBTW, you do know that Live Writer is working now, right?
ReplyDeleteSuch a shame for your tomatoes that this has happened. I hope that if you get any more fruits they will be OK. xx
ReplyDeleteWell, Hubby sprays his tomatoes with Sevin Dust and that takes care of the stink bugs and a host of other bothersome pests. Happy week!
ReplyDeleteI have been watching my tomatoes and patiently waiting for a pretty red one! THOSE stinky buggers best stay out of my garden! I hope you find a way to get rid of them so they don't ruin the rest of your "maters"! Have a blessed and "stink bug free" day! HUGS!
ReplyDeleteLast year I had a bumper crop of squash until something got a hold of the stems and ate the stems from the inside out! Gardening is so much more challenging than it used to be, it seems to me. Of course, it hasn't helped any that we have had such a peculiar year with the rain and all. Glad you were able to save a few!
ReplyDeleteJemma
Well Miss Laura Ingalls, looks like you have a problem! I don't know a cure for stinkers, and I guess just picking them off is too time consuming. My husband actually shop vac'd a bunch of red lily beetles off our lilies recently. It worked, but I think you would ruin a tomato plant that way (can you tell he's not of the 'prairie' type-set?). Enjoy the tomatoes you did salvage!
ReplyDeleteWendy
Ewww I don't like stink bugs at all! Your poor tomatoes. I think I would have done the same thing! I could just imagine you were Gone with the Wind ;-)
ReplyDeleteGood old edible diatomaceous earth is my suggestion. It takes care of all manner of bugs AND it also can kill bees so I never put it on flowers or blossoms. Google it. Be sure to purchase edible or food grade...it won't harm people or pets, but the one that is not food grade is poisonous.
ReplyDeleteStick bugs stink!
ReplyDelete