How Can I Control Stink Bugs?

Do you want to control stink bugs using the biological control method?

Do you want to control stink bugs by using a natural repellent?

Do you want to control stink bugs using insecticides?

Do you want to control stink bugs using pheromone traps?

Stinkbugs have many natural enemies. You can limit their numbers by attracting these beneficial creatures to the area. Some of the most common enemies of stinkbugs include minute pirate bugs, praying mantis, assassin bugs, earwigs, and green lacewing larvae, parasitic flies, spiders, toads, birds. The use of decoy plants in and around the garden is a great way to lure stinkbugs away from your most prized garden plants. Plants that stinkbugs are attracted to include: sweet corn, okra, mustard, sunflower, amaranth.

Since stink bugs feed and lay eggs on garden plants, you may also want to try spraying them with a kaolin clay (mineral clay) solution as a method for stink bug control. This prevents the bugs from both laying eggs (as they won’t attach) and feeding on plants. It’s also safe for plants, including edible ones, and washes off easily. Additionally, you can try using pheromone sprays in areas outside your home’s perimeter to attract and lead stinkbugs away. Of course, this would only be a short-term solution. In the home, cedar sprays may help repel these pests.

Most garden insecticides are not very effective against stink bugs, especially adults. Even if some are killed, additional stinkbugs are likely to move in to reinfest the crops. Insecticides, including broad-spectrum, persistent materials such as pyrethroids, lower toxicity products such as oils, and botanicals such as pyrethrin or azadiractin, may provide some suppression of young nymphs.

Commercially available stink bug traps with aggregation pheromone lures can be useful for monitoring to determine if the bugs are present, when they emerge in spring and when populations are high. They can remove large numbers of stink bugs but probably have little value in preventing damage to crops. Place traps in trees/shrubs or other sturdy plants near the home or garden in early spring. Be sure to place them so both the top and bottom parts of the trap are in contact with the plant. This allows easy access into the trap but no escape once the bug is inside.

Keep the garden and surrounding areas clean and free of debris as stink bugs commonly use these for cover. Also, remove any hiding places like old boards, logs, etc. Covering vegetables with a row cover material can prevent feeding by stink bugs. A row cover is a light, permeable material, usually made of polypropylene or polyester that is used for extending the harvest season past the first few touches of frost and preventing damage by a wide range of pests. However, row covers also prevent pollinators from reaching flowers, which may be a key time for preventing stink bug feeding. If stink bugs are a problem in the home, make sure that all doors and windows are shut or covered with screens.