This bug is all over my Hardy Hibiscus. They all are just crawling with them.....UCK!! The 'Blue River II' is still blooming fine, but my 'MIghty Big Pink' only got three flowers and all the buds are still so small....plus some of the stems are wilting on the top and just curling up.... very hot weather here in West Chester, PA....unusually hot and very dry this year. What are these things and are they harming my plants?
Here is another photo.....
underside.....
These are nymphs of the brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera/Heteroptera: Pentatomidae), an introduced Asian species that has become a pest in many eastern states. See http://tinyurl.com/26x9xg7 for a fact sheet that includes control recommendations.
Thank you suunto!! Very informative!! I hate to use chemicals in the yard......Do you have any suggestions for a chemical free way to reduce their population?
If they are not too abundant, just hand pick and crush them or drop them into a container of soapy water. Otherwise try an insecticidal soap. See http://tinyurl.com/ctalr3 for details and other suggestions.
Thanks again!! Funny, I spent the afternoon trying to get as many as the buggers as I could and putting them in a can of hot soapy water. I did this before I read your last thread....I have done this with other problems before (Japanese Beetles)I got quite a few, but there are still some left.....I do not think my 'Mighty Big Pink is going to bloom this year......Can't fight Mother Nature.....I will just have to try to spend some time each day until I get them.....
Thanks again for the info and advise!!
