Stink bugs can absolutely damage a vegetable garden and fruit trees, feeding on tomatoes, peppers, beans, apples, and plenty more. The damage shows up as dimpled, scarred, or discolored spots where they've pierced the surface to feed.
Seeing marks on your produce and wondering what might be causing them? Stink bugs might be to blame.
On tomatoes and peppers, look for cloudy, pale, or yellowish spots just under the skin, often with a slight dimple where the bug fed. On tree fruit like apples and peaches, the classic sign is "cat-facing," dimpled, distorted, corky areas and sunken spots that leave the fruit lumpy and misshapen. On beans, you’ll see scarring and deformity, sometimes resulting in a stippled look.
Part of why stink bugs are such a hassle is the fact that they can eat nearly anything you want to grow. Tomatoes, peppers, beans, corn, and squash are all on the list, along with apples, peaches, and berries. Midsummer through early fall is peak feeding, right before they switch to seeking winter shelter.
Cosmetically damaged produce, it should be noted, is usually OK to eat. Trim away affected areas and you can consume the rest.
If you’re looking for a few things you can do right now, start here. First, look at your plants regularly and hand-pick any stink bugs you see into soapy water. Don’t crush them, or you’ll find out how they got the name. You can also use row covers to protect vulnerable crops where practical, though you'll need to open them for pollination on flowering plants. Clearing garden debris and weedy edges also helps, as it removes the spots where they congregate.
If you're tired of stink bugs taking a bite out of every harvest, Mosquito Squad of Chelmsford & Cambridge can help. Mosquito Squad offers perimeter treatments that help reduce stink bugs around your garden and home. These treatments are always applied by a trained technician alongside the barrier service that can give you an up to 90% reduction in mosquito activity for 21 days at a time.
