Does anyone know what these stinkbugs eat? Are they eating my plants or other bugs? I always find them hanging around. I don't like them AT ALL, but if they are eating bad bugs I will hold the ortho for now. Does anyone know? Here is a link to a picture of one:

http://www.dl-digital.com/images/Stinkbugs/stinkbug350x250_1158-transparent.gif

Does anyone know what these stinkbugs eat? Are they eating my plants or other bugs? I always find them hanging around. I don't like them AT ALL, but if they are eating bad bugs I will hold the ortho for now. Does anyone know?

Depends on what species it is - there are maybe 500 different sorts in North America. It's a pretty good bet that they are predaceous, especially if they're adults. Some do feed on plant sap, some feed on plant sap as nymphs and other bugs as adults. I'd wait until I saw one with it's beak stuck in the plant before I did anything to kill them. Just don't play with them or, worse yet, squish them or you'll regret it! They're called "STINKbugs" for a reason.

kpb
{Who used to be an entomologer in a previous life.}

they smell like bananas x vinager :embarass:

I will have to go find and squish one to confirm.... :)

I have 'em here - not in the plants. At work, a few years ago, I had one wander around my office all winter. Often he was on my keyboard all day while I typed. I thought of him as a friend.

That was before I knew how much they stunk!
Cat ate one last year. Amusing, but sad.

I didn't know they were stink bugs. I have them in my office on occasion, I just pick them up and throw them out the door. Now I will be tempted to squish one and find out...Thanks

I will have to go find and squish one to confirm.... :)
they will make you sick bananas x vinegar not a good combo :ohmy:

Oh yeah, I know allllll about the stench. Bad idea to squish. Some of them are bright green, and some are very dark brown. They all smell icky! :cheeky: I don't like them simply because they FLY. Things that fly or jump in the air like flying have way too much of an advantage over me and I don't like being ambushed! I have a very intricate community of jumping spiders that live in all my orchids. I don't ortho those plants simply because these tiny spiders seem to keep the bad bug population in check. They don't bother me and I don't bother them. They usually don't hide from me, and when it's time to water, I sort of water around them. And I could be crazy, but the little spiders actually *look* at me and get out of the way as if they know me and that it's watering time. The only reason I am contemplating the ortho on the stink bugs is because I am tired of watching my husband roll with laughter as I dash across the yard screaming, arms flailing, trying to get the stinkbug out of my hair! :unsure:

:lol: :lol:

Oh, you'd love it here in Australia where we have spiders as big as dinner plates - those buggers really do sit up and look at you - then again tarantulas come from Sth America so you've probably got some reasonably large ones there too.

It's interesting though as I've not seen any of our stink bugs haunting my orchids that I can recall in over 20 years of growing - hmmmmm. Huntsmen spiders are a different story - them I've seen on a regular basis. Good thing they're not venemous.

Cheers
Stephan

Yes, we have some pretty big spiders here. Our Wolf spiders get as big as the span of my hand...that is PLENTY big enough for me! They aren't poinsonous but can bite you if you taunt them. They generally only come out at night. One time I forgot to leave my porch light on and a huge one rested on my door handle. I put my hand right on top of it and felt it wiggle! It was really creepy! And what was even creepier...it was back in the same place the very next night!

Of course those are nowhere as big as dinner plates....but we have TONS of brown recluse spiders and they are really poisonous. I find them all the time inside the house and out.

*blush*
I actually kinda like stink bugs.
I think they're kinda cute.

Heather luvs Stinkbugs!!!! :cheeky:

:mrgreen: Hmmm, Hmmm Heather likes stink bugs - wonder what I can do with that

Hey Nynaeve

Spiders as big as dinner plates are something of a rarity - I've only ever seen two - once when I was about 16 on the pylon of a bridge - it's partner was pretty big too.

The other time was pretty close to that time as well. One Summer evening I was aroused from watching TV by my mothers scream of fear and terror. There it was on the other side of the screen door going for insects attracted by the light - miGod it was huge seen up close.

Our family has a very strange attractiveness to spiders which is sometimes very annoying and other times so creepy it's not funny.

Cheers
Stephan