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Posted on 05/22/2011 3:10:09 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued
An insect with a voracious appetite, no domestic natural predators and a taste for everything from apples to lima beans has caused millions of dollars in crop damage and may just be getting started.
The brown marmorated stink bug, a three-quarter-inch invader native to Asia, is believed to have been brought first to the Allentown, Pa., area in 1998. The bug began appearing in mid-Atlantic orchards in 2003-04 and exploded in number last year.
This spring, stink bugs have been seen in 33 states, including every one east of the Mississippi River and as far west as California, Oregon and Washington.
"All that we do know for certain is that a tremendously large population went into overwintering in fall 2010. So, if they survived, there could be a very large population emerging in the spring," said Tracy Leskey, a research entomologist at the U.S. Agriculture Department's Appalachian Fruit Research Station in Kearneysville W.Va.
Growers in the mid-Atlantic region have reported the worst problems, and the apple industry appears hit hardest, with $37 million in damage to growers in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, according to the U.S. Apple Association. That's about 18 percent of the Mid-Atlantic crop.
Mark Seetin, the association's director of regulatory and industry affairs, called it the worst threat to farmers he's see in his 40 years in agriculture.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
bump the stink bug killers
Nope. It dissolves in any moisture so the earthworms do just fine, but makes it useless unless you got a good couple of days without rain. It’s the only thing that has ever dealt with the cabbage worms effectively that I’ve tried.
Just enter the key word - weekly - in the search box. The gardening thread for the past week and beyond will pop up.
Peroxide is a harmless and very effective fungicide. I’ve had good luck on the tomato spot. You can see it bubbling and killing it after you spray it on.
did the LED attract these things?
Maybe the stink bugs just made their way north to PA and these people think they are something new to the country.
We’ve seen them before ‘98 also. Not the quantities we’re seeing now.
Sounds like you didn’t dilute it? I could put it in my pump sprayer (diluted) as I’ve had multiple problems with milew, glad to hear it works on tomato spot, too.
OK
Thx
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The picture is a stock photo off the net - not me. If you use DE like this do the spraying very early morning or late evening because it will harm your visiting bees. I think I read that lady bugs are not affected by it - I don’t know why.
The poor little guy had to get a breath of fresh air!
I said all I know about dealing with jap beetles, but will be on the lookout for stink bugs, don't know if DE will work on them or not, worth a try. Ususally a multi-pronged attack (minus the traps which are not good for me) is the most effective. Last year the beetles were evident well into September. That's what will make the stink bugs harder to fight.
With the beetles, if I dig and find the light-colored, fat grubs, I throw them in the street or squash them, but that won't make much of a dent overall for sure.
bump where to get the DE duster to kill bugs—thanks for info
Thank you for the warning, early evening works best for me, and bees are active until sunset. Ladybugs aren’t a problem for me, just a nuisance in the fall. Have been glad to see some red ones since I took up gardening again; they usually show up too late for aphids on rose buds, haven’t seen any yet, and you can hose them off daily with a strong spray of the hose. That’s is a nuisance for me dragging the hose around.
What do you use against them?
One search I did recommended nicotine tea....as we know, tomatoes and peppers need to be kept away from tobacco products. Tomatoes and peppers are a large part of my garden.
OTOH, I have seen these before and haven’t seen any damage that I know are from them in the garden. I will use a pyrethrin occasionally if I see insect damage. I have also used Severin. I have never been that sure the powders are helping, though. I have also not had extensive insect damage in the past.
Oh, I thought this was about the Democratic National Committee.
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