Dust off and nuke the site from orbit?

June 8, 2009 6:50 AM

What kind of bug is this?

I live in Houston. These guys are hanging out on my tomatoes and peppers and like to dive bomb me when I water, but don't seem to be doing any harm, so I'm inclined to leave them be. Earlier this year there were lots of smaller orangey ones with them that couldn't fly, but I haven't seen any of them recently.

If there's any reason to get rid of them, what are some good non-chemical ways to do so?

posted by IanMorr to home & garden (9 comments total)

It's a kind of stink bug I believe. They will injure your plants. I would visit your local nursery to find the appropriate treatment.
posted by mrmojoflying at 6:54 AM on June 8

Leaf-footed bug.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 6:58 AM on June 8

This page has some non-chemical treatments for stink/squash bugs.
posted by mrmojoflying at 6:59 AM on June 8

Thanks. I'll try the method of dumping them into a bucket of soapy hot water.
posted by IanMorr at 7:14 AM on June 8

I've had luck this year keeping my plants insect free by using diatomaceous earth (drawback - kills all insects, both harmful and beneficial) and a dilution of Neem oil in water, sprayed on and under the leaves whenever I see insects. Except for some damage to my tomatillo plants from some pesky flea beetles, the garden is looking good. And it's all natural, no harm to anything.
posted by billysumday at 7:28 AM on June 8

I'm inclined to leave them be

If you have any kind of cucumber or squash plants, don't. Squash bugs can decimate those plants. I crush them on sight immediately.
posted by mediareport at 7:32 AM on June 8

Seconding filthy nasty squash bug. Ruined my pattypan, acorn, and zucchini last year. Kill.
posted by jdfan at 10:47 AM on June 8

Gah, awful monsters these, especially in Texas. Mom had a fantastic crop of tomatoes this year, and about a week before the first batch ripened, these suckers swarmed in and started decimating the crop. Then have little mouth tubes to poke into your beautiful plants to suck away the juices. The result? Your tomatoes ripen wonderfully... and are covered is awful yellow splotches. Theoretically still eatable, but positively disgusting looking.

And those mouth tubes? Yeah, they have no problem poking you with them if you try to handle them aggressively without killing them quickly enough. It's a very, very mild sting, but enough to put a little pep into your decimation of the rest of them.

As a side note, it's probably worth your while to be able to tell the difference between the leaf-footed nymphs and assassin bugs (hint, wing formation). Assassin bugs are pure awesome and if you are lucky enough to have a batch, they will happily help you get rid of the leaf-footed bugs and a number of other pesky interlopers.
posted by article at 9:35 PM on June 12

Drowning them seems to have done the job, haven't seen any for a while. Thanks all.
posted by IanMorr at 1:35 PM on July 8