I have seen more stinkbugs on my green tomatoes this year than I ever remember in the past. Stinkbugs are the shield-shaped insects that emit a foul odor when disturbed. This insect injures the tomato by using its mouthparts to probe through the skin of the fruit. Look for tomatoes with golden-yellow, pink or white spots on the fruit as the fruit ripens. Color development is affected where probing occurs, which results in the off color, cloudy spots. Heavy feeding causes spots to spread, so tomatoes may develop a golden color. If you look closely, you can see the pinprick-sized puncture wounds in the middle of the spots. Hard, whitish, callous tissue develops beneath the skin at the area of wounding. By the time you notice the spots, stinkbugs are often gone, so control is impossible. Affected tomatoes are safe to eat.
Contributors: Ward Upham, Extension Associate
