This creature is swarming over part of my brother's back yard. They are coming up from under a board walkway and seem to have the lower levels of a pine tree as their destination. These beasties have been in the yard before, but never to this extent.
Please help with an ID. I believe that they are immature stages, as there are no wings.
Thanks,
Wayne
most probably some nymph of a squash or leaf-footed bug, but i'm not sure. ceejay will have to help out with this one or some one equally capable (and that's not me). lol
I don't even know bugs but my first guess is Box Elder bugs, because i grew up in the Midwest and we used to have a swarm of them in our yard/screens of windows when they hatched or whatever they do from the neighbor's box elder tree.
Google search "box elder bug" Images and click on the second thing that comes up. It shows an adult, and the second photo there shows a swarm of "immatures" which looks pretty close to what you show above.
See what you think. It won't let me send a direct link for some reason.
I don't believe that they are Box Alder Bugs. It's too early for the big swarm, plus there isn't a Box Alder tree near the area. Years ago, our fair city had a program to get rid of all Box Alder and Cottonwood trees. The program was a fairly successful, except that the city "experts" didn't get all of the offending trees. Where I live, we have our screens plastered with cottonwood seeds and the house is almost covered with Box Alder Bugs: however, my bro's neighborhood was one of the few areas where the trees were eliminated.
As far as I know, the Box Alder Bug is only associated with Box Alder trees and the walls of our houses. The critters in question seem to be associated with pine trees.
They remind me of golden raintree bug nymphs, but that can't be right, because I think those only occur in tropical-like areas where golden raintrees are (like Florida).
What size are these?
And that is a fine photograph you've taken, by the way.
I just copied a box elder pic from google site, and it looks like that is what it is, we get them here but not bad, we don't have a box elder tree either, but we do get these critters. :(
Connie
I have a golden raintree and by golly, these bugs are all over the place on the ground around the area. Funnily enough, they aren't right underneath the tree, but about 8' from it. There are hundreds of them and I have seen them for a few years now. Some places are just pure red, there are so many of them. I just read about them, now that I finally know what they are, and they said they do no harm to the plants. They are feeding off the seeds from the raintree, which is good because that tree sure can send up seedlings!
Yup! They are boxelder nymphs. This must be the overwintering female swarm that covers the outside walls of many houses in the fall.
From what I have read, they are dependent on the boxelder tree, but there are none around my brother's neighborhood.
Zeppy: They are a but over a quarter inch long & thankd s for the compliment. The pic was taken with a Nikon 4300 with just the regular lens.
