Death Warrants Issued. Help. Warning: CLOSE-UPs of my finger!

[coastal bend]

I don't remember but the tomatoes were still green and it was a while before they started blushing.I only had the one infestation and did not have to repeat.

[RayR]

Originally Posted by ginger2778

Ray, I have no idea how far north.
Please could you put up a link that you got for your research on them? I would like to read about their feeding habits and anything else, because I think I am going to be seeing them more and more. I know they lay eggs inside a stem snd you can see a raised brown area where they are, which is a weak area that can break when the stem has a weight or wind stress on it.
My observation is that they like tomato plants much better than aphids and white flies.

FEEDING HABITS OF THE TOMATO BUG

Stop Tomato Bugs From Sucking Your Crops Dry

Meet the Tomato Bug!

Tomato bugs could be a problem in small farms and home gardens

[Gerardo]

Originally Posted by pauldavid

Thats bad Gerardo! Never seen these before though. Good luck to you amigo.

Gracias! Eviction ongoing. Still have two months of heat left, fingers crossed.

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by RayR

FEEDING HABITS OF THE TOMATO BUG

Stop Tomato Bugs From Sucking Your Crops Dry

Meet the Tomato Bug!

Tomato bugs could be a problem in small farms and home gardens

Great links Ray, many thanks. Interesting, the second link says neonicotinoid pesticides are effective early on, and, and Kurt's link said 70% neem IS effective against hard bodied true bugs in the nymph stages . Good to know that I was wrong and very strong neem may be useful.
Still reading, these links are excellent. A year ago, I googled and could find almost nothing.

[Gerardo]

Originally Posted by RayR

FEEDING HABITS OF THE TOMATO BUG

Stop Tomato Bugs From Sucking Your Crops Dry

Meet the Tomato Bug!

Tomato bugs could be a problem in small farms and home gardens

These are great links. Unfortunately, I recognize most of the elements in those pics.

This seems to be common wording:

"There is no information available on natural enemies, pesticide treatments, or other management options specific to tomato bugs."

Yet it seems most recommend to follow stink bug management reqs, so I will follow suit. The UC IPM pest management guidelines are here:

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/r783300211.html

I'm gonna walk in to the Ag supply store and find the right tool for the job, based on the above link. Will definitely report on the outcomes.

[MissS]

I had a type of true bug the Four-lined Plant Bug this spring and last year that were on my perennials. These bugs were just decimating the flower buds and new growth tips. http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=36885 I used Dr. Bronner's Pure-Castile Soap with very good results. The only problem with it was that these bugs can fly and mine were quite shy and moved quickly. The soap has to cover the bug or it is ineffective. I do not like to spray my whole garden because I don't want to harm my beneficials. So then you have to be on the lookout and keep a spry bottle with you to spray as found.

[b54red]

I imagine Permethrin would kill them and it isn't nearly as toxic as Malathion even if used at higher than normal mixes. Another good thing about it is the very short wait time after using it. I would apply it very late in the day as to not kill bees.

I have been using DE sprayed on my plants to stop a massive spider mite infestation which had to be stopped or nothing would have been left. I'll keep an eye out for these little buggers and if I see any I will try the Permethrin. If that doesn't work I can always go to Malathion but I hate using it on tomatoes because at lethel levels it can cause some significant leaf burn and you have to wait about a week after using it. I have seen a few of them in the past but didn't know what they were or if they were good or bad. Usually I just leave bugs alone unless I see them causing some real damage. I'll keep a closer eye out for them now. Thanks for the warning.

Bill

[Gerardo]

Originally Posted by MissS

I had a type of true bug the Four-lined Plant Bug this spring and last year that were on my perennials. These bugs were just decimating the flower buds and new growth tips. http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=36885 I used Dr. Bronner's Pure-Castile Soap with very good results. The only problem with it was that these bugs can fly and mine were quite shy and moved quickly. The soap has to cover the bug or it is ineffective. I do not like to spray my whole garden because I don't want to harm my beneficials. So then you have to be on the lookout and keep a spry bottle with you to spray as found.

Thanks for the heads up. While I'll likely integrate it into my life for other uses, this time I'm gonna resort to the big guns, given garden-time constraints and the pervasiveness of the current attack. I imagine it'll be a great tool for mopping up the stragglers.

[Gerardo]

Originally Posted by b54red

I imagine Permethrin would kill them and it isn't nearly as toxic as Malathion even if used at higher than normal mixes. Another good thing about it is the very short wait time after using it. I would apply it very late in the day as to not kill bees.

I have been using DE sprayed on my plants to stop a massive spider mite infestation which had to be stopped or nothing would have been left. I'll keep an eye out for these little buggers and if I see any I will try the Permethrin. If that doesn't work I can always go to Malathion but I hate using it on tomatoes because at lethel levels it can cause some significant leaf burn and you have to wait about a week after using it. I have seen a few of them in the past but didn't know what they were or if they were good or bad. Usually I just leave bugs alone unless I see them causing some real damage. I'll keep a closer eye out for them now. Thanks for the warning.

Bill

I'll look at the pyrethroids, most definitely. I'm thinking a 2nd insecticide with a different mechanism of action might help too. The stink bug reqs have a couple of different regimens. I'm gonna stay away from the neonicotinoids.

I was thinking of adding M-Pede, but I have a difficult time (not financial, but just on principal) shelling out 100+ for Potassium Salts and some Propylene Glycol mixed together. Any suggestions on an alternate product that isn't as pricey? I'm tempted to attack with dilute Liquinox and see what happens.

I like to leave bugs alone too, that's why it got away from me. Learning.

[coastal bend]

That is what I use now. I have to spray Spinosad every 10-14 days to keep the worms at bay I will put a half a dose of Permethrin in with the Spinosad ever other spraying. So far I havent had anymore problems since the. I doubt that I could grow tomatoes without Spinosad.There is constant worm pressure during the growing season. This is normal for me here.

[Kikaida]

Wow, you just never know what you're going to come across on this amazing forum. Guess what, I have these! I thought they were some type of wasp and didn't pay much attention to them...This has solved some mysterious symptoms!

[b54red]

Originally Posted by coastal bend

That is what I use now. I have to spray Spinosad every 10-14 days to keep the worms at bay I will put a half a dose of Permethrin in with the Spinosad ever other spraying. So far I havent had anymore problems since the. I doubt that I could grow tomatoes without Spinosad.There is constant worm pressure during the growing season. This is normal for me here.

When those worms get bad like that I usually use a bit of Sevin on the undersides of the lower leaves and it will wipe them out in just a few minutes. BT helps with them but sometimes not fast enough and with some worms it doesn't work good at all. This year I think the abundance of Assassin bugs and wasps have made it unnecessary to use a poison on worms but I did have to use DE to slow the terrible case of spider mites that developed in a very hot dry July and now I don't have any bugs on my tomatoes so I'm assuming the DE did in the good with the bad. I haven't used the DE on my bell peppers and they still have a good number of Assassin bugs left on them but I worry that the DE on the tomatoes may affect them if they move onto the plants.

Bill

[Starlight]

Yuck!!!!!! What a nasty..nasty bug. Hate that you have it, but glad you shared about it. Something else to keep an eye out for.

[AdrianaG]

Neem, and a bluebird house and heavy mulch to address next year's grasshoppers which will be eggs this fall.

[kurt]

On the Arbico site they have a "buglady" contact link.I asked her about the Tomato Bug that Ginger2778 ID'D and she emailed me back about a promising,low risk fungus being used.

http://www.bioworksinc.com/products/...botanigard.pdf