Stink bugs becoming pests, but there's still hope for control
BY DANIEL E. MULLINS IFAS Extension Commercial Horticulture Agent, UF/IFAS Santa Rosa County Extension

Stink bugs populations are on the increase. Once considered a minor pest of vegetable, fruit and nut crops, they are now causing serious damage. They especially like to feed on the fruit and seeds of plants and damage is done by piercing and sucking plant juices.

The damage from their feeding ranges from fruit drop to depressed spots on the affected fruit. Acommon sign of stink bug feeding is a disorder known as "catfacing," which is descriptive of the deformed fruit that results. Some of their favorite host plants include okra, tomatoes, peaches, squash and peas, but they have a wide host range including cotton and other field crops.

There are several species of stink bugs that are of concern including: the green stink bug, brown stink bug, leaf-footed bug, big-legged bug, squash bug and rice stink bug. Most of the species have similar life cycles. They usually overwinter as adults and eggs are placed on the host plant in large masses.

The nymphs and adults feed on a variety of herbaceous weeds and many crops. Four or five generations may occur in a single year. Stink bugs are very mobile, with the adults flying from crop to crop as the season progresses.

Stink bug populations are much higher than they were a few years ago. There are several reasons, or opinions as to why problems have increased. First, the farming and residential environment has changed, resulting in less diverse populations of plants for them to feed upon.

"Cleaner" fields, borders and landscapes with fewer native weeds and other herbaceous plants causes stink bugs to home in on whatever is available. This is often a single crop in the area that attracts them for lack of other host plants in the area.

Another reason is the change in insecticide use over the past several years. Farmers are using fewer of these chemicals and those used are more specific as to the target pest and are shorter lived in the environment. In cotton production for example, little insecticide is applied any more due to the boll weevil eradication in our area and the use of genetically modified varieties.

The stink bug was considered a pest of minor importance in cotton production until insecticidal spray applications decreased or ceased.

Stink bugs, like most insects, are creatures of habit and these habits are leading to a unique approach to controlling them in vegetable fields, peach orchards, pecan orchards and nurseries. The effort in Florida is being led by Dr. Russ Mizell, IFAS Entomologist, who is stationed at the North Florida Research and Education Center in Quincy.

This system, known as trap cropping, involves planting strips of other stink bug host plants crops around the edges of crop fields to be protected. For example, a field of tomatoes might be protected by growing a few rows of okra, buckwheat, sunflowers or sorghum on the outskirts. The idea is to lure, congregate and provide something for the stink bugs to feed on instead of the crop.

Trials using trap cropping will be underway in our area soon. Studies will include the best trap crops to use, how to maintain them at a constant desirable growth stage for stink bug feeding, width of the planted strips that are necessary and other details. Our experiences with this method of stink bug control will be provided in the future.

Note: Dr. Mizell studies insect habits and uses these traits to help develop management strategies. An example of his work is the development of the "Trolling Deer Fly Trap." This system works great for controlling these biting pests in fields and yards. There are no chemicals involved.

The system can be made at home and is based upon the deer fly's habit of locating its prey based upon size, color and speed of travel. A description and instructions, with photos, can be obtained by typing "Trolling Deer Fly Trap" on your internet search engine.

For more information or if you have a question, call Dan Mullins, Extension Commercial Horticulture Agent, The University of Florida/IFAS-Santa Rosa County Extension, at 850-623-3868, between the hours of 8:00 am and 4:30 pm weekdays. Hearing-impaired individuals may call Santa Rosa County Emergency Management Service at 983-5373 (TDD).

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