What are these "stink bugs" doing in my tomatoes?

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stormygace kure beach, NC(Zone 7b) Aug 22, 2008

These stink bugs (what I always called them) are kind of flattened angular bug with flares on their legs above their feet & they are zooommming around in my tomatoes! I'm wondering if they are munching on the fruits? They don't seem to like permethrin spray but if they aren't damaging I'd not bother them. They are quick (& sort of green citronellaish odor when smooshed/cracked) & so I resorted to the permethrin for the ones in the higher reaches (would involve the fat lady trying to scale the 8 foot tomato towers, no so good).
Sound familiar?

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Les_Cooper Brazoria, TX Aug 22, 2008

Sounds like the leaf-leg squash bug. For an image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Bug_9035.JPG

These "suckers" are bad news. They also lay eggs on the underside of leaves. Soon you will have scads of them.

Les

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stormygace kure beach, NC(Zone 7b) Aug 22, 2008

Ack! That would be them! Does this spell D-E-A-T-H for my new cukes & zucchini (just at the 2 leaf stage in the 4x8 raised bed next to the tomatoes? What do I do? They really do move fast so I don't think I can get 'em all by hand (fat lady jumping around raised beds grabbing & smooshing & sniffing fingers - why do I do that? I know what they smell like). Is permethrin a good choice for combatting them? I hate to drag out the ancient bag o Sevin - but I also have been stymied this summer with squash borers & pickle worms (could pick off the horned tobacco worms & keep up with them & they are not gooshy). Really would like a few more cukes & at least enough zucchini for the 2 of us to get sick of it.
Any recs would be really deeply appreciated.

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Les_Cooper Brazoria, TX Aug 23, 2008

Here is a simple remedy i found on the internet. How, i wonder, did she discover this? Let me know if you use it with success:

Here is an interesting method from one of our visitors: Kayla A., an organic grower from Nebraska. Kayla sprinkles imitation vanilla around susceptible plants and swears it keeps them away. Certainly worth a try. Thanks to Kayla for this!

Here's hoping.
Les

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stormygace kure beach, NC(Zone 7b) Aug 24, 2008

Thanks Les - I am stashing this for use at another time as I opted for the FINAL SOLUTION of invertebrates after discovering a munched in on one side, soured tomato with those suckers scuttling all over. Pretty much soaked the plants yesterday evening (esp. underneath leaves) with Sevin solution. No sign of the leaf-legged monsters today! Funny the munched tomato did it after the siege of pickleworms, squash borers, web worms & tobacco horn worms (they were actually OK no frass - yech!).

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Tir_Na_Nog Houston, United States(Zone 9b) Apr 27, 2010

Did it work?!

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