It鈥檚 been a prolific pest for gardeners and gardens this summer in parts of the B.C. Interior.

Known to frequent the Okanagan in large numbers, this year, concheula stink bugs have been found throughout the North Shuswap. They鈥檝e been particularly problematic for people with fruit and/or vegetable gardens.

鈥淚n Kamloops, the garden club people are complaining about them there too. It鈥檚 just all over the Interior it seems,鈥� said the Shuswap Garden Club鈥檚 Kathy Crosbie, whose own home garden became a feeding ground for the insects.

鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing, they鈥檒l pick a certain tomato and you鈥檒l find them all on there, or one bean鈥� and they seem to almost suck the life out of the bean, and the tomato will turn almost yellow and you can see where they鈥檝e been on there,鈥� said Crosbie. Same with the bean, they鈥檒l just sort of suck it I guess until it turns yellow or whatever. And then they鈥檒l be on flowers鈥� they seem to pick certain plants they like.鈥�

Conchuela stink bugs grow to be about a half-inch long. The adults can be green, brown or dark brown and have an orange/yellow trim.

The insects are known to target vegetables, berries, grapes and other fruits, as well as ornamentals.

鈥淚 had lots of beans and I thought, they鈥檙e just on all of my beans so I pulled all my bean crop out because of them,鈥� said Crosbie, who sought advice from B.C. Ministry of Agriculture entomologist Susanna Acheampong on how to deal with the bugs.

鈥淪he said just get a bucket of soapy water and flick them into it and they basically just drown,鈥� said Crosbie. 鈥淒on鈥檛 spray anything. We don鈥檛 want to get into the spray and I don鈥檛 know if that would make any difference.鈥�

Richard and Kresha Faber at Foxfire Farms near Gardom Lake has also been contending with the stink bugs this summer.

鈥淚 gave up on my raspberries which were covered with them and they sucked the life out of many of our beans and sweet peas,鈥� said Richard. 鈥淥ur diversity allows us to focus on those crops that are doing well and get over the inevitable losses in some other crops.

鈥淲e seem to have a different pest problem each season and we try not to use any drastic measures to deal with them which could upset the balance in our system.鈥�

At Green Croft Gardens in Grindrod, the bugs are present but haven鈥檛 been as problematic.

鈥淪o far it鈥檚 been OK 鈥� we have quite a diverse mix of crops and they seem to be in our currents our most, the black currents,鈥� said Green Croft鈥檚 Gabriele Westle. 鈥淲e鈥檝e picked our currents already and the leaves are all on 鈥� they鈥檙e just in there.

Westle said she鈥檚 received phone calls from people asking about the bugs and what to do about them. But she said the garden has been in operation for 30 years, and this is the first year the conchuela stink bugs appeared in such numbers.

Read more:

Read more:

While the bugs have also been a problem for gardens/gardeners in the North Shuswap, Celista Estate Winery鈥檚 Jake Ootes said they鈥檝e yet to appear in great numbers at his vineyard. He suggested that may change when his grapes begin to ripen.

鈥淭he whites come in probably early to mid-September, and the reds come in early October to late October, somewhere in between there,鈥� said Ootes. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why I鈥檓 kind of wondering, OK, what鈥檚 going to happen?

鈥淎t the moment we鈥檙e OK but I鈥檓 very worried about it鈥︹��

Right now, the bugs are just one of several concerns for Ootes, whose winery isn鈥檛 far from the Lower East Adams Lake wildfire.

鈥淲e鈥檙e only 15-20 kilometres as the crow flies from the fire, so those two things are bothersome at the moment,鈥� said Ootes.

If picking/flicking the insects from your garden, Acheampong advises wearing gloves as conchueala stink bugs produce 鈥渇oul-smelling chemicals to prevent predators from eating them, and will produce the same chemicals when handled.鈥�

Conchuela stink bugs are known to winter hidden under plant debris and other protective cover and emerge in the spring to feed on plants. They begin laying eggs mid-May and continue through the summer. Crosbie said was told there鈥檚 a likelihood the bugs will be back again in the Shuswap next summer.

鈥淚t鈥檚 just another cycle we鈥檙e going through, I guess,鈥� said Crosbie.

for our newsletter to get Salmon Arm stories in your inbox every morning.