These strange creatures are stink bug nymphs. Stink bugs undergo incomplete metamorphosis. This means that at first they do not look like adults at all, then they grow more and more like the adult form with each molt. I took this picture of the stink bugs on a pomegranate on our tree. There were a lot of them on each pomegranate.
Here is a close up of the nymphs. At first they were bright red. Now they are turning brown and you can see their wing cases (brown blobs on their backs) starting to develop. When their wing cases fully develop, and they have wings, they will be adult stink bugs capable of flying around and wreaking havoc. I wasn't too happy when I found the stink bugs sucking my pomegranates dry. I have had to deal with so many bugs this year! I didn't want to use poison either.
I decided to knock them off with a strong jet of water from the hose. This will work with a lot of bugs (probably the not so smart ones) and they will not be able to find their way back to where they were. I was afraid that stink bugs would be smart and hop right back on the pomegranates, but no, it worked with two tries. After the first spray about a quarter of them came back. I made the second spray longer and stronger and only a few came back.
Now I am supposed to hand pick the survivors and throw them in a basin of soapy water. I think I will ask for a volunteer for that job! Hey Anna!
P.S. Does anybody know how to juice pomegranates?
are these really a stink bugs? they also releases nasty scents?
ReplyDeleteYes, if you disturb them or smash them they smell bad, but the bad thing about them is not how they smell, but that they do a lot of damage to the plants they feed on. Not only do they greatly weaken the plants they suck on, but they introduce disease too.
ReplyDeleteThese are not stink bug nymphs. These are leaf-footed bug nymphs, family Coreidae. See here: http://bugguide.net/node/view/565583/bgimage
ReplyDeleteStink bug nymphs are round, see here: http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=stink+bug+nymph
Dear Anonymous, Thanks for the information about the leaf-footed bugs. I enjoyed looking at the pictures and that led me to do some research and comparisons between "stink bugs" and "leaf-footed bugs". It turns out that they both are major fruit crop pests who are piercing-sucking feeders. Their saliva digests the fruit after they pierce it, and they suck up the juices. This damages the fruit and can cause it to drop off prematurely.
ReplyDeleteAlso, both bugs stink,so...... I'll probably just get the hose out and spry them off regardless. : )
Here's an interesting article on the brown marmorated stink bug.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dallasnews.com/lifestyles/home-and-gardening/headlines/20121205-nasty-nonnative-stink-bug-hits-texas----but-not-dallas-yet.ece
I have added pomogranate seeds to my Champion juicer. Any juicer will work fine. My 6 yr old eats them seed and all.