User avatar
TNCatHerder
Full Member
Posts: 54
Joined: Thu Apr 09, 2020 12:54 pm
Location: East TN

Organic solutions for stink bugs on my peppers? East TN.

Last year I had a real problem with stink bugs on my Habaneros. I don't remember them bothering the California Wonder, Jalapenos or the Orange Thais.

I would like to be ready this year. Any ideas? I am trying to keep everything organic so I don't want to buy a bunch of chems.

User avatar
applestar
Mod
Posts: 30514
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

I think your best bet would be to cover the hab plants with insect screen. They don’t need insects to pollinate. But you will have to supplement by shaking or electric toothbrushing. This will actually also insure they are not accidentally crossed and you will be able to save the seeds from mature fruits as long as they are not hybrid varieties.

Do you have many?

pepperhead212
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2852
Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:52 pm
Location: Woodbury NJ Zone 7a/7b

I agree with apple on the covering - that's what I have to do for pepper maggots, for the varieties prone to them. Fortunately, I never had the stink bugs on my peppers.
Surround would probably keep them off, but it's a pita to get the surround off a bunch of small peppers.

As for covering, I use the thinnest Agribon, and peppers actually grow better under the cover than out - probably because hot peppers love heat! And when I first did this I was wondering about how the pollinating would go, but I did not have to help it at all; in fact, a variety that I did both covered and uncovered that first year did better under cover!

User avatar
TNCatHerder
Full Member
Posts: 54
Joined: Thu Apr 09, 2020 12:54 pm
Location: East TN

applestar wrote:
Fri Apr 10, 2020 10:01 am
I think your best bet would be to cover the hab plants with insect screen. They don’t need insects to pollinate. But you will have to supplement by shaking or electric toothbrushing. This will actually also insure they are not accidentally crossed and you will be able to save the seeds from mature fruits as long as they are not hybrid varieties.

Do you have many?
Do you have a recommendation for the insect screen? I have never used one. I am growing in pots. Is this something I can water through or would I need to remove it on a regular basis? Not sure how I would secure it. I only have a few tomatoes and peppers so I usually jostle every flower I see when I tend to them. When do I need to put the screen on during the growing phase? When I transplant or can I wait until it flowers? I have 8 of these big blue ceramic pots from Lowe's. I would like to buy 4 more this year. Last year my peppers all had a roommate. 2 Jalapenos together, 2 California Wonders together and 1 Orange Thai with my only Habanero. This year I have started seed for the CW yellow bells and Jalapenos again. I bought Cayenne seeds for another hot pepper. I do not have any seeds left for Habaneros but there are tons of volunteers from last year and I would like to keep one if I can ID it quick enough. I didn't replant the Orange Thais but if one of the volunteers I save turns out to be one I will keep it.
pepperhead212 wrote:
Fri Apr 10, 2020 11:54 am
I agree with apple on the covering - that's what I have to do for pepper maggots, for the varieties prone to them. Fortunately, I never had the stink bugs on my peppers.
Surround would probably keep them off, but it's a pita to get the surround off a bunch of small peppers.

As for covering, I use the thinnest Agribon, and peppers actually grow better under the cover than out - probably because hot peppers love heat! And when I first did this I was wondering about how the pollinating would go, but I did not have to help it at all; in fact, a variety that I did both covered and uncovered that first year did better under cover!
Until I moved to TN I had never even heard of stink bugs and didn't have any problems until last season.
I googled Agribon and found some at JohnnySeeds, is that a brand or a type? Is that the same thing applestar is recommending? WIll rain and air get through that? Would I need to hang that over a frame or just lay it on the plant itself?

User avatar
applestar
Mod
Posts: 30514
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Pepperhead is much better at growing peppers than I do, so he is worth listening to. But, he is meticulous where I have the out of sight out of mind mentality. :>
I’m thinking of insect netting — they do sell them as such for agricultural purposes and those are usually UV protected — I have some that have lasted for 10 years or more. I have also bought and used mosquito netting — camping ones are sturdier than indoor. I also buy bolts of tulle from craft store — they only last one season at most.

With netting — They need to be lifted away from the plants because the pests will lay eggs on the leaves and flowers that are pressing against the netting. Sometimes some can even poke their egg laying tubes through and drop/dribble the eggs on leaves below, but that is an extreme case. Agribon is a trade name non-woven cloth so all this might not be as much of an issue, but you can get moisture buildup and fungal issues, and cooked foliage — especially if you are not monitoring frequently.

If you have the budget, you can buy pre-constructed screened covers sold by speciality garden supply stores. I have also successfully used picnic and bbq food protectors and pop-up laundry hampers typically sold for dormitories and small apartments. You can get them from $ stores. Paint filtering bag for 5 gal buckets is another option.

Custom frames for larger projects can be made from variety of materials, and you can use variety of securing method including clothes pins to PVC clamps.

pepperhead212
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2852
Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:52 pm
Location: Woodbury NJ Zone 7a/7b

TNC, the netting items applestar suggested would be better for you than the agribon, since you only have one habanero you would be covering, and you could get smaller amounts of it, I'm sure (I bought a 250' roll of Agribon from Johnny's!). And stink bugs aren't small, so that's not a factor. Rain will go through it some, but I have a drip irrigation line running into mine, and a sort of bungee cord type strap, to seal it around the tubs (you can sort of see that in the first photo). Here are two photos, one with the cover, the other with the cover off, showing the pvc post, that I support the cover with, and many of the peppers overgrow, and push up by around August 1st (fortunately, about the date I can remove them, as the pepper maggot flies are gone), as you can see.
ImageBig Jim and Jalafuegos, a little over 15 inches, 6-25 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

ImagePepper plants growing through the tops of the covers 7-28 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

User avatar
TNCatHerder
Full Member
Posts: 54
Joined: Thu Apr 09, 2020 12:54 pm
Location: East TN

I'll see what can find locally. I think I might be able to find some mosquito netting fairly easily.

imafan26
Mod
Posts: 13962
Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2013 8:32 am
Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

Mosquito netting will work. It is actually harder to find here in large sizes. I use tulle from the fabric store. I is often used for craft netting. You can use any color but I usually stick to white or black. Do not use yellow or blue. Those colors actually attract bugs. The fabric width may not be wide enough and I have sewn the seams together to get a wider fabric. It will fit over a pvc frame and I closed the open ends with clothes pins and secured the netting with telephone wire to the pvc. You want to make as few holes as possible in the tulle. You will also have to find a way to secure the netting to the ground. I made a long tubular sock and filled it with dirt ( sand would be better). I also found out if I had a long enough heavy chain it worked too. The chain was a bigger investment up front, but was easier to manage than the sock over time. Tulle is not meant for outdoor use and it will not last more than one season, but it is an alternative. For multi season use it is worth getting insect netting which will last more than one season. I have fewer problems with stink bugs. I have more issues with birds and leaf footed bugs. The birds will tear holes in the tulle and the leaf footed bugs can get into any opening from tears to openings at the ground. If you do use a barrier, remember it must remain exclusive, once the pests get in, they will have a feast.

Another thing you can do is use kaolin clay. It will prevent stink bugs from laying eggs and feeding on the plants.

User avatar
TNCatHerder
Full Member
Posts: 54
Joined: Thu Apr 09, 2020 12:54 pm
Location: East TN

I would rather buy the netting that will last, I will reuse it over the years anyway.

Last year I wasn't sure what they were and if the were harmful or just nesting there so I left them alone. This year I would just pick them off manually if need be.

User avatar
Gary350
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 7396
Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 1:59 pm
Location: TN. 50 years of gardening experience.

Buy a shop vac. 1 year I had terrible bad problem with stink bugs on yellow squash I sucked bugs off the plants every, morning, after lunch, before dark, 3 times every day. I kept plants alive several more weeks until we had all the yellow squash we wanted.

TV garden show showed squash planted 12" apart in several rows 12" between rows, I never knew squash could be planted that close together, they had an amazing good squash crop. I always plant squash 3 ft apart full sun all day it is too hot for bugs that helps keep bugs away. Maybe crowding plants too make lots of shade is better than full sun? ? ?

I never had stink bugs on pepper plants.

User avatar
TNCatHerder
Full Member
Posts: 54
Joined: Thu Apr 09, 2020 12:54 pm
Location: East TN

I found pics from last season. I don't think they are stink bugs. Not sure what they are. Let me see if I can up load it.
Last edited by TNCatHerder on Thu May 21, 2020 11:30 am, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
TNCatHerder
Full Member
Posts: 54
Joined: Thu Apr 09, 2020 12:54 pm
Location: East TN


User avatar
TomatoNut95
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2069
Joined: Sun May 26, 2019 11:11 am
Location: Texas Zone 8

Nope. Not stink bugs. They are creepy inscets that sting like the devil. I think they're called assassin bug, or something like that. I've seen babies hatch out in my garden, to. I don't know if they do any damage to plants or fruits but I'd destroy them anyway. They deliver quite a painful sting quite like wasps.

User avatar
applestar
Mod
Posts: 30514
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Use up arrow link to this thread and compare discussed difference between assassin bug/wheelbug nymphs vs. squash bug nymphs — very close CRITICAL to differentiate since ASSASSIN bugs are PREDATORY BENEFICIALS.
Farmallz28 wrote:
Sun Jan 10, 2016 6:33 pm
Can someone help me identify this pest it attacked all of my vine plants and wiped them out I pulled all plant and burned them thanks in advance



Return to “Pepper Forum”