Bug ID needed.

I keep finding these things on mt Hyacinth Beans. They don't seem to be doing anything, just milling around.

They appear to be immature assasin bugs .. not really sure though!

X

that's what i think too. good if they are. i had every pest known to man last year on mine and i would have loved a few predator bugs like these guys! debi

Hi trois!
Would you do me a favor and use that brand new fantastic camera you have, and get another photo, now that they will have grown a smidge more? If you can find them...
Here's the problem: They could be assassin bugs (hope so) or they could be leaf footed bugs. But it is hard to tell when they are that young. Watch the back legs. If the part that attaches to the "foot" gets larger - wider - that would indicate a leaf-footed bug nymph, and they suck they juice out of plants. You could also watch them to see what they "eat". They have straw-like mouth parts and if they stick it into the plant, that would indicate the dreaded leaf-footed bug. If they stick it into another insect - the beneficial assassin bug.
CJ

This message was edited May 6, 2006 9:49 PM

We had a big storm this mornining and I couldn't find any. Probably tomorrow.
Thanks. I have seen a few leaf footed adults, but not in the same place.


trois

I guess this picture is definitive. I have bad bugs. I looked last night with a flashlight and saw many more. This morning I found these. Leg development on the orange ones!

oh, that's too bad trois. i was so hoping for a good outcome. these beans, for me anyway, weren't worth growing. they almost destroyed a brand new chain link fence and the bugs were horrendous. it took me a week to cut them down and reclaim my yard.

These are growing in an out of the way place on a tree trunk. I like them and if these bugs stay there, not a problem. They only seem to work between 3 and 4 feet off the ground, while the vine is 15 feet tall.

I love the hyacinth bean vine. Wouldn't be without it. I can't imagine how it could hurt a chain link fence. The stems aren't woody, like a wisteria, which will indeed take a chain link fence down. Mine grows on a metal form in the flower bed in the front yard. I do have to keep them cut back so they don't cover up near-by plants, but it is worth it to me to do that. I have never had a problem with the leaf-footed bugs on it, however. Trois, the bugs won't stay there. They grow up, develop wings and fly...to anything and everything. They are sucking the sap from the plant. Now, if you managed to get the true assassin bugs, they might just take care of them. We can hope. Great picture, by the way.
CJ

BTW, what is up with the hyacinth bean vine, anyway? Mine always blooms in the fall, but it is blooming now, before reaching any fullness. It is still in the process of growing up the form. And yours has bean pods already. Is that usual for you in zone 9b?
CJ

well now, that's strange. my stems turned into total wood and got as thick as my arm in one season. i had to saw them out of the chainlink. i got them online from a reputable company but i have to say that they never bloomed or developed pods. maybe i got stuck with something else!

I think you got stuck with something else.

Mine bloomed everyday sinceover a year ago. They made beans all winter, kept growing and blooming.

I will knock those bug off into the grass under the tree and mow it quickly. When I threaten them, they jump into or fly into the tall grass.

Or you could spray them with soapy water. Their young bodies will dessicate. I use a tablespoon or two to one gallon of water. Or Insecticidal Soap. When they get older, it will be hard as rocks to knock them out.

Well, maybe I am running a zone 9b now. But the vine did freeze down last winter. Yes, I think trackin got some other plant.
CJ

This message was edited May 7, 2006 7:05 PM

Hey, trois. Look at the adult bug. Between its two front legs is its straw-like mouth, bent at an angle in the middle. It has pierced the bean pod and is in the process of having lunch.
CJ

awesome - back to the roses they go! Thanks X

I sprayed the yard with Cutter's yard spray, mostly for the mosquitos, and all those bugs disappeared. So did all the skeeters where I sprayed. If I go past the area sprayed though, they await.