Stinkbugs and tomatos

[jay3534]

Last year stinkbugs ruined my tomato crop. Sevin did not help and I was applying after each rain or as I thought it was needed. The plants were Brandy wine and Purple Cherokee.
Any ideas for this coming season would be appreciated.

 

[oosik]

When we had a garden it was potato bugs. Every day - check, pick, squash. Never had any bugs on the tomatoes. We had Early Girl and one other. Check with your local garden supply outlet.

 

[Alan W.]

Last year not bad but the two previous years they were terrible.
I also grow the heirloom tomatoes as well as hybrids. The heirlooms are attacked more in my opinion.
Keeping the weeds down helps. I found that the more isolated from other plants the less likely to be bothered by the stink bugs.
I have tried different sprays with limited success.

But oosik, the potato bugs were devasting and seemed immune to everything I sprayed my taters with. Then I tried the bt for them. Worked like magic and not a poison.

 

[oosik]

That's why we hand picked the critters off the potatoes every day. What would kill the potato bugs wasn't too good for the plants. Of all things, we had the chipmunks chomp on the tomatoes now & then. They would crawl thru the mesh wire, eat the wife's strawberries and top it off with tomatoes. The wife had a hate on chipmunks.

 

[HillStreet]

Last year stinkbugs ruined my tomato crop. Sevin did not help and I was applying after each rain or as I thought it was needed. The plants were Brandy wine and Purple Cherokee.
Any ideas for this coming season would be appreciated.

Stink Bugs overwinter in the soil so you can control the dominance by spraying a dormant horticultural oil in the spring (NC is pretty early compared to Maine). Follow label directions when applying. Seven didn稚 work huh? Don稚 know but check labels, maybe google the situation and you will find bifen products or esfenvalerate. Bonide makes a stink bug trap but I would use that 斗ure to signal when they arrive and monitor for what needs to be sprayed. Oh, and Spectracide Immunox (with the insecticide component added).

 

[jay3534]

Alan W. what is bt?

 

[Streetcar]

Alan W. what is bt?

It is natural insecticide, available in many garden stores amazon etc.

 

[Alan W.]

This is the one I use.

Alan W. what is bt?

 

[Alan W.]

BT is not a poison. If my memory is correct it is a naturally occuring bacteria that makes the bugs sick so they quit eating and die. There is also a strain for cabbage worms that I use.

 

[jay3534]

thanks I will take a look

 

[Oaktree]

That's why we hand picked the critters off the potatoes every day. What would kill the potato bugs wasn't too good for the plants. Of all things, we had the chipmunks chomp on the tomatoes now & then. They would crawl thru the mesh wire, eat the wife's strawberries and top it off with tomatoes.

Yeah, potato bugs are more of a problem here too, like you I haven't found anything that worked on them except pick 'n squish. I don't like using pesticides unless I absolutely have to, and then only sparingly. The only other insect pests we have that attack the garden are Japanese beetles...asparagus & pole beans seem to be their plant of choice, and some years corn. Never heard of stink bugs.

Only thing I ever had that attacked tomato plants were these fairly large green caterpillars that were the exact same color as the stems. Only ever had 'em one year...I suspect there may have been eggs in with the plants I bought. Don't plant tomatoes every year...I don't especially like them and my wife has to be careful with acidic foods, every other year I'll do a couple plum tomato plants for canning, but that's about it.