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Got tomatoes? Look out for these invaders

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED JUL 11, 2019

These leaf-footed bugs are hanging out in tomatillos, but they like all kinds of ripening summer produce. (Photo: Debbie Arrington)

Leaf-footed bugs love ripening fruit

Have you seen this bug? It can literally suck the joy out of summer, especially if you grow tomatoes.

Looking like some strange prehistoric creature, the leaf-footed bug is a real stinker. It stabs its long mouthparts into nice juicy tomatoes and other favorite targets, then sucks out the moisture.

Usually found in clusters, the young nymphs seem to appear out of nowhere, climbing over ripening fruit to look for just the right spot to dine. They quickly get big and scary-looking; adults measure over an inch tall.

Three different species are native to California. They’re related to stinkbugs and attack a lot more than tomatoes. They’re also fond of pomegranates, almonds and watermelons. Damage often is only cosmetic.

Leaf-footed bugs tend to hang out and breed in weedy areas (they love thistles) before moving into the tomato patch. (That’s another reason to keep weeds down.)

Catch these bad bugs while they’re young. The nymphs move slowly and can’t fly.

Knock them off into a bucket of water; add a teaspoon of liquid detergent to the water to assure a quick demise. No pesticides are necessary. But wear gloves; if touched, these bugs will make your hands stink.

Leaf-footed bugs can have multiple generations each summer, so more nymphs may pop up at any time after May. Keep that bucket handy.

For more on these pests, check out these recommendations from the UC Cooperative Extension Pest Notes: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74168.html

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Keywords:

tomatoes gardening Sacramento integrated pest management leaf-footed bugs pests summer produce tomatillos

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Garden Checklist for week of Nov. 3

November still offers good weather for fall planting:

* If you haven't already, it's time to clean up the remains of summer. Pull faded annuals and vegetables. Prune dead or broken branches from trees.

* Now is the best time to plant most trees and shrubs. This gives them plenty of time for root development before spring growth. They also benefit from fall and winter rains.

* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies and snapdragons.

* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.

* Plant garlic and onions.

* Keep planting bulbs to spread out your spring bloom. Some possible suggestions: daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, anemones and scillas.

* This is also a good time to seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.

* Rake and compost leaves, but dispose of any diseased plant material. For example, if peach and nectarine trees showed signs of leaf curl this year, clean up under trees and dispose of those leaves instead of composting.

* Save dry stalks and seedpods from poppies and coneflowers for fall bouquets and holiday decorating.

* For holiday blooms indoors, plant paperwhite narcissus bulbs now. Fill a shallow bowl or dish with 2 inches of rocks or pebbles. Place bulbs in the dish with the root end nestled in the rocks. Add water until it just touches the bottom of the bulbs. Place the dish in a sunny window. Add water as needed.

* Give your azaleas, gardenias and camellias a boost with chelated iron.

* For larger blooms, pinch off some camellia buds.

* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while dormant.

* To help prevent leaf curl, apply a copper fungicide spray to peach and nectarine trees after they lose their leaves this month. Leaf curl, which shows up in the spring, is caused by a fungus that winters as spores on the limbs and around the tree in fallen leaves. Sprays are most effective now.

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