Friend or Foe #5

A continuation of our thread where we discuss insects and related critters in the garden and whether or not they are helpful or harmful.

Here is a link to the previous thread... http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/525874/ . The first post of that thread contains links to the previous threads or how to get to them.

As promised on the end of last thread, I'll be talking here first about centipedes and millipedes and how to tell the difference.

First I'll give a millipede...

Millipedes are slow moving, and don't bite. They often curl into a coil shape when disturbed. They eat organic matter. Each segment on their body has two pairs of legs which is why they are called Diplopoda. They come in a few different types - some are more rounded and some are flatter. Here is a picture of a typical millipede. The caption should say "two pairs of legs per segment" rather than "two legs per segment."

This message was edited Aug 10, 2005 2:51 AM

And here's an example of one of two kinds of common centipedes.

Centipedes are fast moving predators of insects and spiders. They can bite, and the bite feels like a wasp sting. They have one pair of legs per body segment, and are in the class Chilopoda.

This one is quite large, and similarly shaped ones might not get so large in other areas of the country.

This is another kind of centipede called a house centipede. The legs don't look like the typical one pair per segment of most centipedes, but I include it here because it is a common species found in basements, garages, wood piles, and sheds.

I have 3 things out there right now that I don't know whether to welcome or not. Any info would be MUCH appreciated.

The first is this "nest" of caterpillers that look like tiny bobbins of thread. The picture is hard to see; but they're black and yellow/cream and only about 1/2" in the picture.

Second is this beetle in the kale I give over to the swallowtail caterpillers every year. His pattern looks like a Persian rug. He's about the size of my pinkie nail.

And, last, (and maybe most difficult???) is this egg mass on a rose leaf. Each part is only about 1/3" across.

mickgene: caterpillars can be difficult to identify and I can't see those very well at all. They look slightly familiar, though, so if I come acros anything, I'll let you know. You might also want to take another picture of them (if the camera won't focus, you could try putting something behind them, like a piece of paper) and post it on the Butterflies and hummers thread. There might be someone there who recognizes them.

I don't think the second critter is a beetle. I think that it's a harlequin bug. These aren't a "good" bug, but as long as there aren't more of them, it should be okay. Just keep an eye out for more of them. If they start to multiply, then you should worry.

The egg mass I have no idea about - but let me know if you find out what hatches out of them.

Thanks NB. I'll take your suggestion about the caterpiller pic. I tried numerous ways, but not that. Just couldn't get the focal length right while holding the stem they were on.

I did have more of the harlequin bugs so I'll have to go on a search and destroy mission today. Too bad. I think they're really pretty.

NB, do you think these are green stink bug eggs and nymphs? I found them on the underside of a milkweed leaf. I thought they were all eggs, then discovered later that the green things are actually bugs and the clear things they are all facing is their eggshell. The little brown things are eyes!

Wow konkreteblonde, what a cool picture. Unfortunately those babies are so small, I can't be sure if those are baby stink bugs or not. They could be some type of Homoptera - like a leaf hopper. There aren't too many though, so you should be able to watch them for a while to see what they become. You'll have plenty of time to squish them if they are bad bugs.

Mickgene, do your caterpillars look like any of these? http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=tussock+moth+caterpillar

Yes, Calalily. It looks like the Milkweed Tussock Moth cat. Thanks so much!

I thought I recognized those little tufts of fuzz! Some of them can irritate your skin if you touch them.

Oh! I'm glad I didn't touch, then. But I learned my lesson a few years ago after I accidentally brushed against a Saddleback Caterpiller. What a JOLT! SO I've gotten leary of any caterpiller hairs except wooly bears'.

We have puss moth caterpillars, they hurt really really bad. They are really hard to spot. http://www.whatsthatbug.com/caterpillar_2.html
I've also learned to watch out for the Io moth cat, those things are painful but make a beautiful moth so I leave them alone.
http://www.ivyhall.district96.k12.il.us/4th/kkhp/1insects/io.html
http://troyb.com/photo/gallery/052-36-IoMothCaterpillar.htm

Some of those cats pictured are gorgeous. Too bad they're so gorgeful. :)

I haven't done any research yet, but my green eggs that were really bugs morphed into this last night. That sure was quick!

Stink Bugs!

That's what I thought, but originally thought they were going to stay green. I've got Hyacinth beans and last year was the first year I noticed these on them, so I thought maybe that was them. Currently they are still trapped in this little bowl with a lid, unaware they are going to visit the toilet soon.

first i would make certain they aren't PREDATORY stink bugs. those are very reliable for eating the plant-eating stink bugs. with distinct markings like those, you should be able to ID them...
www.bugguide.net

Too late, they are just dead stink bugs now. Oh well... I just didn't have time to fool with them and didn't want to release them and be sorry. I had to get them out of the bowl because my Gulf Fritillary butterfly eggs were hatching and those babies are tiiiiiiny. I did look thru pics tonight, but who knew there were a million stink bugs?!

yep millions. i can get lost in those pictures! i would hav killed them too, before i knew :-)

I just wanted to share with you all that last night I dreamed I was in my garden and found a very unusual looking bug, and thought, gads, I've got to go get my camera to get a pic of this to post on NB's thread........;->

That's too good! LOL

Ha ha! I took a pic but of course don't have it at work.

I have a 'pet' Praying Mantis. Guess where he hangs out? On my hummingbird feeder! He's too small to get the birds but he is sure enjoying snacking on ants! He's my guard mantis!
Nicole

Night_Bloom, I'm so thankful for your threads, but I haven't been able to read all of them yet so you may have covered this already. In the first thread you recommended Imidacloprid for persistant aphids. I have a crepe myrtle that was heavily infested with them, I thought I was treating a fungus when I saw the black mildew looking stuff on it. Turns out the underside of the leaves were covered with aphids (I think). See http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/538946/ I severly prunned the tree it was so heavily infested and it hangs over a small pond. Then I went to look for the Imidacloprid. I found Bayer Advanced All-in-One that has .80% Tebuconazole and .15% Imidacloprid (and 9-14-9 fertilizer) that is supposed to be diluted and poured around the plant. But then I began to wonder if that was the right product, so I went to Bayer Advanced web site and found Rose and Flower Insect Killer that has .72% cyfluthrin and .72% Imidacloprid but it is supposed to be sprayed on. Now I'm thoroughly confused. Can you help get me headed in the right direction?

Another question, if its covered in one of the other threads just direct me to the right one. Assassin bugs--I thought that they were all good predators, but because of your reply to identifying some nymphs http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/538213/ I'm concluding that some are and some aren't. So, I put a strong magnifying glass in my garden tool box so I can see if they have the short stubby beak of the predators or the long thin beaks of the plant eating kind. I was fortunate to see one that was in the process of eating a small beatle-looking bug. I was over joyed and and examined it carefully, I could see the stubby beak. Then later I was examining a plant (on the other side of the house from the first one) where I saw several of them and it looked to me like it had the thin beak. It's not easy to examine those little critters close up because they are so lively. Is it possible or likely that I could have both kinds in my yard?

Sorry, I've been sort of AWOL lately guys - it was a busy week, but I'm going to try to get by more often.

Your baby stink bugs were cute, konkreteblonde.

And hee, margu - I am flattered, but I think you need some better dreams.

barbur - I'm glad that you are enjoying the threads.

For your first question - the one that I know of, I think, is the Bayer Advanced 2 in 1 garden stakes. This sounds to me like something that you stick in the ground next to your plants. I might be concerned at any treatment you might use, however, due to the proximity of your tree to a pond. You may want to go to your local extension agent to get some advice and see what the regulations are in your area - depending on if it's a private pond, part of a watershed, etc. Some insecticides - even ones that are fairly harmless usually, like pyrethrins - become deadly to fish and aquatic invertebrates. The label might help you to decide.

As for your second question, I can see where I might've confused you. Yes, assassin bugs (Reduviidae) are all predatory, but unfortunately - especially in their young nymph stages - some resemble leaf bugs (Coreidae) which are not. The main difference that I use to tell small Reduviidae from the Coreidae is the fat "beak", which I'm glad you got to see firsthand. Of course for the stink bugs, that is also the way to tell them apart. There are, however, predatory bugs that don't have fat beaks - and I'll be posting a picture of one of those tonight/this morning.

I'll try to dig up a picture of a leaf bug and an assassin bug to post soon, too, so that you can see how they might look similar. I think there are pictures of both somewhere on these threads, but I don't think that I compared and contrasted them.

Tonight I have a predator that I caught in the act at my porch light. This is again a true bug - Hemiptera. It's called a damsel bug (family Nabidae). They are fairly small predators. This one is in the process of eating a small leafhopper.

And here's a close-up of his face where you can see the leafhopper he's holding. As you might've noticed on the first picture, the beak isn't a short, fat one for this predator.

I know the picture isn't great but I am hoping she can still be ID'd. This spider made a web over our back door t nights in a row. The web spanned the entire top half of the door opening she was about 2 inches long (I think) and we are in SE Pa if that helps any.

I had my DH duck under her web and hold up a piece of paper to try to get a decent picture of her. Apparently she doesn't like the paparazzi - she has not returned.

I know we've had wheelbug pictures before, but this one was just so handsome... and he cooperated beautifully by posing on my Flamingo Flower, right in my windowbox!

mysticwill - wow that's a tough one. From the way she looks, I would say that she's a comb-footed spider (family Theridiidae) and probably in the genus Steatoda - see here... http://bugguide.net/node/view/6926/bgpage . The eyes, shape, and color pattern remind me of Steatoda I have seen. BUT...

The size is too large and it appears from how easily the paper was put behind the spider that it is an orb weaver (family Araneidae). Orb weaver webs are characteristic in that they are "wheel-shaped" and in one plane (flat and vertical - i.e. 2-dimensional rather than 3-dimensional). I couldn't find any kinds of Araneidae that fit exactly what yours looks like, but you might be able to try - the first page of Araneidae is here... http://bugguide.net/node/view/1972/bgpage?from=0 .

What did the web look like? This might very well help with the identifictaion.

critterologist - that is a very lovely wheel bug! I am somewhat jealous. Depsite all the different kinds of predatory bugs I have in my gardens, for some reason I don't have any wheel bugs.


I'll be gone over the Labor day weekend, but I promise to have some pictures for you when I get back (and/or tomorrow if I've got some time to post one). So far though, you guys have been doing great with the pictures in my place.

This message was edited Sep 1, 2005 2:51 AM

The wedb was orb weaver like -- a wheel shape. I wish I could have gotten a better picture of her (or that she would come back) hopefully she has just made herself comphy in another part of the garden.. I don't really trust my memory to well to idenify her. I thought orb spider - but that is only because that is the only "big" garden spider I know.

One of our daughters introduced me to 3 sets of cards on large rings that have been very helpful in identifying many insects. There are sets for good bugs and different ones for bad bugs. Includes caterpillers, 'pedes, scale, etc. Not many spiders tho. Gives good info on each one on the back of the card which has a large glossy picture of the insect on the front. You can get them from Illinois Natural Resources, 607 E. Peabody Drive, Champaign, IL, 61820. I think the the 3 sets of cards were about $35. Audubon Society also has a very good small pocket size book out for about $20(I bought ours years ago so they cost more now).

Hi,

Here's one for you. This little guy was found on a peruvian lily along with a friend that was identical to him. He's really cute. Is he a friend or foe?

Thanks! :)

that looks like a sink bug to me, but frined or foe i don't know:

some are predatory & eat other stink bugs/insects that would damage your flowers. but her could be after your blooms too

have you watched to see what they do on the flowers? any damage?

that amost looks like an anchor on his back, which would defientely make him friend, as they eat the harlequin bugs which love to eat up your flowers!

tf

Thanks so much Tamara! You are correct, I looked up stink bugs and this is the southern green stink bug. It is known to have a voracious appetite for all kinds of plant material, so I'll be squishing them at every opportunity! Glad I asked instead of just admiring him.

Christina :)

squish away. the smell they emit wil attract heir predators, so don' tsquish them all or the predators may starve LOL

on another note, the spiders are going nuts along the coast where Katrina passed. many of the folks going to tent city for medical treatment have bad spider bites!

anyone know why the spiders didn't just drown?

I believe they have the capacity to encapsule a 'baloon' of air that sustains them.
sidney

This message was edited Sep 8, 2005 11:44 AM

wow, that's pretty amazing!