what eats stink bugs

A surprising number of animals eat stink bugs, despite their nasty smell and taste.

Main predators of stink bugs

• Birds such as sparrows, swallows, bluebirds, and some woodpeckers will eat stink bugs when other insects are scarce.

• Small mammals including mice, shrews, and sometimes squirrels may eat stink bugs they encounter while foraging.

• Reptiles like lizards and small snakes will opportunistically consume stink bugs along with other insects.

• Amphibians such as frogs and toads snap up stink bugs if they move within range of their tongues.

• Predatory insects and spiders (e.g., assassin bugs, some wasps, spiders, and predatory stink bugs) also feed on stink bugs or their eggs.

• Parasitoid wasps lay eggs in stink bug eggs, and their larvae eat the developing stink bugs from the inside.

Do any bugs eat other stink bugs?

• Some predatory stink bugs (for example, asopine stink bugs) will eat other stink bugs or their eggs.

• These predators bite and suck out the body fluids of their prey, including other stink bugs.

Why predators still eat such “stinky” bugs

• The smell is a chemical defense that deters many predators, but some animals either are not bothered or quickly learn that the smell is not dangerous.

• For hungry birds, reptiles, or small mammals, the protein reward can outweigh the brief unpleasant taste or odor.

Example backyard scenario

Imagine a garden where brown marmorated stink bugs cluster on tomatoes and peaches. A nearby bluebird pair forages through the plants, snapping up bugs, while a toad under the porch lamp gulps down any wandering stink bugs that fall to the ground. Over time, a few predatory stink bugs and tiny wasps also attack stink bug eggs on the underside of leaves, quietly reducing the next generation.

TL;DR: Birds, small mammals, lizards, frogs, toads, spiders, predatory insects (including some stink bugs), and tiny parasitoid wasps all eat stink bugs or their eggs, even though the bugs stink.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.