Stink bugs are shield-shaped insects, ½ to ¾ of an inch long. The most common are either bright green or dull grayish yellow or brown in color.

Adult stink bugs become active in spring when temperatures rise above 70 o F. Adult populations are usually highest from mid-summer until temperatures drop in fall. Stink bugs prefer wild plants but will move to the garden when their numbers increase and their native food supply decreases.

Stink bugs feed on over 50 plants. They have a needle-like mouth that is used to pierce the plant, blossom, or seed and then suck out the sap. Stink bugs will first eat native trees, shrubs, vines and weeds. However, when the population increases and their first food source becomes scarce they will move to cultivated crops such as ripening tomatoes, cabbage, stems of melons and asparagus.

As with other garden pests, one of the best controls is to keep cultivated plants healthy, using well-prepared, and properly mulched and watered beds. If necessary treat infestations with an insecticide labeled for use in the garden against stink bugs.