Damage:
In the garden, stink bugs damage crops by making feeding wounds with their sucking mouthparts. They can feed through tender green cornshucks, and often damage peppers by feeding near the stem attachment, where the feeding wounds lead to wet rot. In tomatoes and tree fruits, wounds become hard knots.
Preventing Problems:
Keep a close watch for stink bugs in the garden, which may be present some years and absent others. Smash the little black nymphs when you see them on sweet corn, and protect peppers with tulle row covers. Egg masses found on leaf undersides of corn, pepper or sunflowers that look like tiny barrels should be smashed.
Managing Outbreaks:
Brown marmorated stink bugs swarm buildings in September, so make sure doors and window screens are secure. Collect invaders in jars of soapy water. At night, a pan of soapy water with a light next to it will attract and drown a few.
Tips:
Piles of folded towels placed near entryways can help capture stink bugs that make it indoors. Currently-available pheromone traps are useful only in late summer when nymphs are active in orchard-size plantings.