I had them like that on my beans last year. This year there are none.

They do a lot of damage. They will eat the new baby beans or peas as they develop behind the flower. You'll wonder why there are so many flowers and no pods.

To keep them under control, twice a day I would tap them into a coffee can full of soapy water which drowns them. I finally got a huge crop of beans in September after the bugs were gone.

I had them bad last year and sprayed them with a mixture of strong coffee,veg.oil and dish washing liquid
It killed them immediatly

I`m not sure on this statement, but will throw it out there in hopes that others who are more savvy, can set the record straight.

I had read somewhere that they hunt Mexican Bean beetles. Would be good for MBB control.

Opinions?

I would definitely till the ground up this year. They over winter somehow in the ground. Get rid of all weeds and tall grasses. Their preferred homes. There are different varieties of stink bugs. These sound like the bad ones to me. A picture would help ID them. Funny! I just googled predatory stink bugs and then came here. Lots of different ones. The brown ones have very pointed shoulders and a long probiscus are beneficial ones.

zackey , They are the Leaf-footed stink bug. The bad guys.

I'm pretty sure that I found the damage last night while shelling some of the peas.

Black spots on some of the seed and underdeveloped seed.

They didn't have that problem a few days ago.

Oh Lord! I didn't know leaffooted bugs were stink bugs. I have the worst infestation of the damn things this year! I use a bamboo stick with duct tape attached sticky side up and dab it on them and then cut them in half. I have too many of them to deal with now. I gave up. I had shoulder surgery 2 1/2 months ago and it hurts to do anything. I wish I knew how to get rid of them!

This is one of those situations where breaking out the serious pesticides is warranted.

it was the leaf footed that almost ruined my tomato crop last year before i gave them the coffee,soap,oil treatment
I have not seen any this year
They normally hit the elderberry plants when the fruit is ripe.
I have not seen the shield variety in a number of years and have forgotten what plants they attack
Charlie

What is your recipe for the coffee spray. My bugs never left black spots on my plants. Just ate holes in the leaves.

I mix 1 quart cold strong coffee,a tablespoon dish soap and 2 tablespoons veg.oil
It is best to spray directly on them early in the morn when they are more active
They normally congrigate around tomatoes and other ripping fruit
You have to sneak up on them as they hide at the slightest movement
it also kills the nymps if sprayed under the leaves
it works on squash bugs also
Some growers use boiled tobbaco instead of coffee
Charlie

Thanks for the recipe. I took a small bucket of water with soap in it today and dunked the sunflower seeds in it to get the leaffooted bugs off. That got rid of about 8 of them.