Stink bugs

[Suze]

Originally Posted by dice

Will pyrethrum kill them? If so, you could spray the bottoms of the boards.

Yes, it will. The problem is that pyrethum is short acting and breaks down rather quickly, so I don't know how helpful it would be to treat boards or other gardening surfaces with it.

Pyrethroids (non-organic/man-made), on the other hand, stick around a little longer before breaking down. They are also generally less expensive than pyrethrum. However, it is a bit more "unsafe" in terms of toxicity to the gardener, for the very reason that the residues do linger around longer. And I will add that even though pyrethrum is organic and breaks down quickly, it's not something one would want to indiscriminately apply without the knowledge that it is somewhat toxic to humans. When I use it, I wear non-porous gloves and breathing protection, and am careful to wash hands afterwards. Actually, I launder application clothes before even wearing them in the garden again, and take a bath afterwards.

There are any number of things that can be used to treat for stinkbugs, including diatomaceous earth or even Sevin, the question becomes what makes the most sense for the gardener in terms in terms of how many plants they have to treat, and their comfort level with using those substances.

Diatomaceous earth can be quite dangerous if inhaled, and breathing/eye protection should always be used during application. It also has to be frequently reapplied.

Sevin, in my experience, can cause a lot of problems in killing off beneficials that deal with spider mites, aphids and whiteflies, so I don't like to use it. And it is also quite toxic to bees.