OSU Extension Catalog

Traps consisting of large sticky yellow sheets and pheromone scent tabs can be found at local gardening sections. Initially overwhelmed in 2018, I used two sheets in garden areas where I found large concentrations of the stinkbugs, and pretty much wiped them out in 2019. I can highly recommend the method. As the bodies pile up on the sheet, their pheromones attract more bugs, compounding the effect. I placed the old sheets, overwintered in my shed, back out the next spring as the dead bugs attracted any new hatches. The population in my yard since has been relatively minimal, mostly showing up in the fall on my home's outside north walls as they seek warm winter hiding places. There they are easy marks for my fly swatter. This spring (2022) I may put out fresh sticky sheets just in case there is an explosion of hatch I need to stay ahead of.

A Friend in Moreno Valley, CA, shared a photo of hatched eggs on a trumpet vine in her yard yesterday, 8 August 2022, asking what they were. I identified them and told her to destroy them, but she and her grandchildren were having fun with the find. I was concerned because I understand these bugs are a garden and crop pest, but also that they can cause chemical burns on the skin if handled or crushed, yet many sources say to pick them up and dispose of them. I DO NOT find that information on cards/notices such as you and other states print (which I cannot enlarge on screen to be readable, nor enlarge in printing...perhaps my lack of skills?) Many only illustrate the adult insect, not the more remarkable eggs and hatchlings. I also understand they are resistant to most pesticides, but easily killed by spraying with soapy water, certainly safer than a chemical route. Are you currently tracking infestations in California? Many states are, notably Maine; some resources showed populations of them all across the nation south of a straight line drawn from the northern California border east. I would attach the photo, but don't seem able to....

Maybe it's elsewhere, but I haven't seen it, but is there a close-up of your comparison of this critter to its look-alikes. That would help me. I cannot enlarge the image you have without the words becoming illegible. Thank you.