It's that time of year again and I'm finding critters on my roses.
The good thing is my husband is home now and he takes a much better photo than I do.
So the big question, is this a good bug?
My Angle Face is host to about 4 of them.
Cheers
Dove
dove, i think it might be a blood-sucking conenose bug....ouch! or it could be a wheel bug, yeah! but wheelbugs can inflict a painful bite too. i hope someone else looks at this and can know for sure. debi
This message was edited May 1, 2006 9:29 PM
It looks like a leaf-footed bug to me. They can do a bit of damage. If you're not like me and have a "fend for yourself" attitude about your flowers, you might have to grab, smack on the ground, and stomp. I'd avoid sprays if it were me, because you don't want to hurt the bees and butterflies that might also visit your flowers.
Mornin' Debi and Night Bloom,
As far as we could see there was no damage what-so-ever to the rose.
I was hoping it was after the aphids and I did a Google search for "aphid predator"
I'm thinking wishing and hoping and... thinking and praying... planning and dreaming (sorry I think I was channeling Dionne Warwick there for a minute) it's some kind of Assassin Bug.
Looks a lot like this photo
http://www.origins.tv/entomology/bugs/150/assassinbug1010.jpg
Not a skiddish bug at all. Although, it wasn't fond of M and his camera and eventually flew away.
We don't spray chemicals, so if it ended up a bad bug M would don his shining armor and squish'm for me.
No, it is not beneficial. Night_Bloom is correct. It is definitely a leaf-footed bug. It has a sucking mouth part, like a straw. It doesn't chew on plants so doesn't make holes; it sucks the juice out. Knock him to the ground and give him the two brick treatment. Man, they can do a number on veggie gardens!!
BTW, that other little critter is an aphid. It too sucks juice from the plants, and reproduces so fast that you will have kazillions in no time. If she (yes, she) and her sisters are sparse right now, a good spray from the water hose might do the job. Otherwise I use soapy water. Dessicates their soft bodies...
Well Blast!
Not the news I was hoping for... I looked up leaf-footed bug and sure enough there was my guy.
Thanks for the ID, I will definitely "murderlize" him.
I'm on top of the aphids with alternating neem and castile soap sprays.
Thanks again CeeJay (you too Night Bloom)
I haven't tried neem yet. Does it work and does it kill good bugs too?
I get aphids, especially on my snow peas, but just when I think I'm gonna have to get out the hose and blast em good, the lady bugs and lacewings come along and gobble them up like candy. It's only when some industrious ants decide to "herd" them that I have to get out the old trusty hose --- but then again I'm too chicken to grow roses (except one wild variety my hubby brought home from the woods). My neighbor has roses and is always battling the bugs on them.
How do you tell the difference? Both bugs look very much alike to me. One is good, the other bad. I would be in deep dilemma! BAM
you just keep studying the pictures and posting here when you need to. sooner or later you start to recognize certain insects common to your area. not all the insects posted here are something you would ever see, but it's cool to look, too.
Well, until you can look at them and tell who is who, you might look at what the bug is eating. If it's got its mouth stuck in a plant - bad. If its mouth is stuck in another bug - good. For example: If you look at Dovey's second photo, you can see the needle-like mouth of the bug stuck into the plant. Even if you don't know that it is a leaf-footed bug, you know it is a bad bug. And after awhile, you'll just recognize the markings on that bug and you won't have to see what it eats.
Another way to sometimes tell is: good guys eat other bugs, and usually each other. So you won't see a lot of them together at one time, except when they first hatch out. They will be alone, stalking up and down the plant looking for another insect to eat. Solitary means look very closely before you smash him. He might be good. I would give this guy the benefit of the doubt.The bad guys often are in congregation, eating from the plant. You'll often see stink bugs and squash bugs in large numbers eating. So, lots of them together signals: bad guy.
There are some really good books on beneficials and that is a good place to start. Pictures are sooo helpful.
This message was edited May 14, 2006 10:37 PM
Thank you both. That sounds like sound advice. I do look, because I cannot drop everything and run inside for a reference every time I meet a "stranger" out there! So, I try to remember which ones to look for in the garden. I always leave spiders alone in the gardens. They are friends as far as I am concerned. Kill wireworms and grubs, though. Earthworms are worth applauding, of course. There are a lot more that I do know are bad, so getting there slowly. Thanks again. BAM
But you are aware, and that is the first step - a wonderful step. So many don't care. I too often hear, from people who should know better, the phrase "There's no such thing as a good bug." You know differently. So, applause for you, too!!
CJ
Well, thank you, CJ! That was totally unexpected! Yes, I am aware that nature balances her abundance. It is usually mankind that upsets that delicate balance, so it is a duty, really, to try to avoid making things worse. The end results impact all creatures. I particularly love dragonfly season, because the mosquito population noticeably declines in my yard! I am happy to see frogs, small harmless snakes, and wish I could find a toad or two, but perhaps in time. No bats here, either. Too bad. All in all, I love my little area. That is what counts. BAM
That big black bug BITES! I know....have been "stung" "bitten" - whatever you wish to call it - several times and it leaves a painful welt for days. They seem to like my hibiscus and I've been battling them since last summer. They do smell like stink bugs when you smash them.
I don't know if these bugs are killing other pests but due to their propensity to bite when I'm out watering I stomp them.
Cara,
From what I gather there isn't much good that comes from this visitor to my garden.
I have no opinion one way or the other about the bug - but that is some remarkable photography!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dovey,
That is the same leaf-footed bug that seems to love my Grape Tomato vines. Murphy's oil soap and Gardens Alive Pyrola seem to have no affect. Stronger means need to be employed.
This has excellent information. Scroll down to the leaf-footed bug's description, etc....
http://msucares.com/newsletters/pests/bugwise/2004/bw2004.pdf
My preferred insecticide is pyrethrin because it doesn't persist in the environment. You need to make contact with the bug, and they have wings to fly. However, they are more lethargic in the morning, so that is one of the better times to spray. Pyrethrin is a poison, so observe all precautions listed on the label. Also, don't spray anything else. Remember that it kills all insects it comes in contact with, and that includes any beneficials and butterflies or their caterpillars. IOW, just spray the tomato plant....
CJ
wanna,
I'll let my hubby know you said so.
There isn't much about him that isn't remarkable ;-)
Dovey
Bubba, it does look the same, I tried neem oil and if you hit the bug directly it didn't seem to like it and flew away.
I don't know if it dropped dead a few minutes later or if it regrouped and came back when I finished spraying.
CJ,
I just emailed you to ask how to get rid of the dang thing, so no need to respond I think you covered it here just dandy.
Being lethargic in the morning, explains a lot, when M took the photo is was early morning and he (the bug) pretty much let us get the camera right in his face.
Thanks Dovey - Unfortunately I checked my e-mail first, so you get a double dose of advise. LOL
