stinkbugs, Japanese beetles, spiders on tomatoes - Ask Extension
Could stink bugs be eating the fruit of the tomato plants in my garden? I've found a number of them on the leaves and some of the fruits have holes in...
Knowledgebase
stinkbugs, Japanese beetles, spiders on tomatoes #417525
Asked July 28, 2017, 1:53 PM EDT
Could stink bugs be eating the fruit of the tomato plants in my garden? I've found a number of them on the leaves and some of the fruits have holes in them, or stipples that are scarred over. Japanese beetles have eaten the leaves of my eggplant and some tomato leaves.
Is there a way to get rid of stinkbugs and Japanese beetles (other than squishing them, which is what I have been doing) in the garden? Note, I saw this spider on my tomatoes. I cannot identify her from looking on the web -- it looks too thin to be a garden spider. Do you know what it is? Will this spider eat Japanese beetles and stinkbugs?
Charles County Maryland
Expert Response
Hole in tomatoes would not be caused by stinkbugs; they do not have chewing mouth parts. The following page has information on stinkbugs and the damage they would cause in a vegetable garden. Their feeding causes a "cloudy spot" on tomatoes, not holes or scabs.
https://extension.umd.edu/growit/insects/stink-bugs
Japanese beetle adults chew leaves in between the veins. The following page provides some options for controlling them.
http://extension.umd.edu/growit/insects/japanese-beetle
Holes in tomatoes could be from other causes, including birds, squirrels, tomato hornworms, cutworms, etc.
The following web page has photos of some of the common insects found in a vegetable garden, with recommendations on how to control them.
http://extension.umd.edu/growit/insect-pests-vegetables
The spider is an argiope spider. They are beneficial and will eat various types of pest insects, including beetles and stinkbugs, if they get trapped in the web.
ckc
https://extension.umd.edu/growit/insects/stink-bugs
Japanese beetle adults chew leaves in between the veins. The following page provides some options for controlling them.
http://extension.umd.edu/growit/insects/japanese-beetle
Holes in tomatoes could be from other causes, including birds, squirrels, tomato hornworms, cutworms, etc.
The following web page has photos of some of the common insects found in a vegetable garden, with recommendations on how to control them.
http://extension.umd.edu/growit/insect-pests-vegetables
The spider is an argiope spider. They are beneficial and will eat various types of pest insects, including beetles and stinkbugs, if they get trapped in the web.
ckc
