Stink bugs are actually good for several things, depending on the species. Some are predators that eat garden pests, others serve as food for wildlife, and a few are even eaten by people. The catch is that most people asking this question are dealing with the brown marmorated stink bug, an invasive species that genuinely has very few redeeming qualities in North America. But the stink bug family is large, and many members earn their keep in ecosystems and agriculture.
Predatory Stink Bugs Kill Garden Pests
Not all stink bugs eat plants. The spined soldier bug, one of the most common predatory stink bugs in North America, feeds on a wide variety of field and garden pests including Mexican bean beetles, Colorado potato beetles, and imported cabbageworms. Both adults and juveniles use piercing mouthparts to attack moth and beetle larvae, making them effective biological pest control on cruciferous crops (like broccoli and cabbage), cucurbits (squash and cucumbers), and nightshades (tomatoes and peppers).
The Florida predatory stink bug is another beneficial species. These predators look similar enough to pest stink bugs that gardeners sometimes kill them by mistake. Washington State University recommends identifying any stink bug you find before deciding what to do with it, since the beneficial ones can reduce pest populations without any chemical input.
How to Tell the Helpful Ones Apart
Predatory stink bugs tend to have pointier “shoulders” on their shield-shaped bodies, and their mouthparts are thicker and more prominent than those of plant-feeding species. The spined soldier bug, for example, has sharp spines jutting from either side of its thorax. Plant-feeding stink bugs typically have rounder shoulders and thinner, more needle-like mouthparts designed for piercing plant tissue rather than pinning down prey.
If you want predatory stink bugs in your garden, the approach is simple: plant native species, avoid broad-spectrum pesticides, and reduce large expanses of lawn. Native plants provide food sources and overwintering habitat. Predatory stink bugs will naturally disperse from nearby wild areas into gardens that offer these resources. Narrow-spectrum pesticides used sparingly are far more compatible with keeping beneficial insects alive than routine spraying.
Their Role in the Food Web
Even pest stink bugs feed other animals. A wide range of generalist predators eat stink bug eggs and juveniles, including jumping spiders, praying mantises, lacewing larvae, lady beetles, assassin bugs, earwigs, ground beetles, crickets, and katydids. Birds and small reptiles also eat adult stink bugs despite the foul-tasting chemicals they release.
Tiny parasitoid wasps play a particularly interesting role. Several native North American wasp species lay their eggs inside stink bug eggs, killing the developing stink bug before it hatches. At least eight native parasitoid species have been identified in North Carolina alone. A non-native species called the samurai wasp, barely 1 to 2 millimeters long and completely stingless, coevolved with the brown marmorated stink bug in Asia and is far more effective at controlling it than any native predator. This wasp has been spreading naturally into parts of the eastern United States.
People Eat Them in Several Cultures
Stink bugs are a traditional food in parts of Africa, Mexico, and Southeast Asia. In South Africa’s Limpopo province, the Venda people harvest an edible stink bug species called thongolifha that is considered a delicacy. The bugs are eaten raw, dried, or served with stiff porridge, and selling them at local markets provides meaningful income for harvesters.
Nutritionally, these edible stink bugs are remarkably dense. Dried specimens contain about 36% protein and 51% fat, with an energy content of 2,600 kilojoules per 100 grams. That’s higher than mopane worms, another well-known edible insect in southern Africa. They also contain iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, selenium, and vitamins A, B1, and E. In Mexico, stink bugs called jumiles are eaten in tacos or ground into salsa, and dozens of edible insect species with protein content ranging from 15% to 81% have been documented there.
Before cooking, harvesters sort out dead insects whose stink glands have discolored the body. These rejected bugs reportedly get a second life as a folk remedy for hangovers.
The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Is the Exception
The species causing most of the frustration in American homes is the brown marmorated stink bug, an invasive pest from East Asia first detected in Pennsylvania in the late 1990s. This species causes millions of dollars in crop damage annually, feeding on fruit, vegetables, and ornamental plants. Tart cherry crops, for instance, can suffer severe losses if the bugs feed on fruit during early developmental stages. The brown marmorated stink bug also resists some common insecticides, making it especially difficult to manage.
Unlike native stink bugs that have coevolved with local predators and parasitoids, the brown marmorated stink bug arrived without its natural enemies. Native predators eat some of its eggs, but not enough to control populations. It looks almost identical to native species, with the telltale difference being alternating light and dark bands on its antennae and along the edges of its abdomen. This resemblance creates a secondary problem: biological control agents imported to fight it could also attack beneficial native stink bugs.
In its home range in Asia, the brown marmorated stink bug fills a normal ecological niche, kept in check by specialized parasitoids like the samurai wasp. Removed from that context and dropped into North American ecosystems, it has almost no ecological upside. It does feed some generalist predators, but the damage it causes to agriculture and the nuisance of winter home invasions far outweigh that contribution.
So Are They Worth Keeping Around?
As a family, stink bugs fill roles that matter. Predatory species provide free pest control. Plant-feeding natives participate in food webs that support birds, spiders, and parasitoid wasps. Edible species feed millions of people. The one you’re probably annoyed by, the brown marmorated stink bug clustering on your window screens every fall, is the least useful member of a surprisingly productive family. The best thing it does is feed the native predators that are slowly learning to exploit it as a food source.