CLOSED: What are these?

I hope and pray these are good guys - but something tells me they're not going to be!
I hope someone can tell me what these are, they have been in the same general area of one of my tomatoes for the past few days.

Here's another shot
Thanks for your help!
Mina

I think this is a nymph of the Leaf Footed Bug, Leptoglossus phyllopus.

I hope someone will come along and confirm this.

It sucks the juices from plants and leaves...therefore, not a 'Good Guy'.

Orrr....

It could be an Assassin Bug nymph (Arilus cristatus)...in that case it's a Good Guy.

Both of these nymphs look similar to your picture.....hopefully someone can give us a positive i.d.

This message was edited Sep 12, 2006 12:33 PM

struck me funny- it needs a caption. looks like a big guy with his army behind him....

They're assassin bug nymphs and they are good predator bugs. They eat many bad bugs but will also kill caterpillars, so I move them from my butterfly weed. You can scoop them into a jar, be careful they can bite, and move them to a plant with bugs like aphids.

I don't move them once they get their wings because they won't stay.

Thanks, I've got the same critters and was having trouble determining the difference...wouldn't harm them till I got an i.d.

Well I really think they are the Leaf Footed Bug - NOT GOOD! I looked up pictures of both the Assasin Bug nymphys and Leaf Footed Bug Nymphs and what I have got looks just like the Leaf Footed Bug Nymphs. I sprayed them the other day!

Leaf-footed bug. Definitely. You can already see the widening in the back leg. And there are so many of them. Wouldn't happen with the assassin bug.

Mvespa, you might be right, they have those 2 spots on their abdomen that looks like pics of the leaf footed nymphs. Then....bad bugs!

Well, I just went back over to where my nymphs were...and they're all still right there...and are Leaf-footed Bugs...they've all grown up and there's no doubt now.

Did you get rid of them?

They aren't in my garden...they're in a wild trumpet vine about 1/2 mile down the road...I didn't bring anything to do the deed on my walk...and they're just too icky to start shaking them off and taking a chance that they'd fall on me..(.I'm a real wimp) so, they lived to grow up and make more...icky thought too..

Update - ceejay is correct they are NOT wheel bugs. So I am deleting my post.




This message was edited Mar 25, 2007 9:54 AM

Wheel bug nymphs have a black thorax with a red abdomen. These nymphs are red top and bottom. In the second photo the teenager in the lot - with wing stubs - has the widening in the back legs - another sign of leaf-footed bugs.

Oops - of course you are right. I didn't take the time to look at the picture long enough. I will edit my post.

those are assasin bug nymphs with a couple of adults they do prey on other anthropods but there are a couple of species that are blodsucking. so don't let them into the house

I was about to post a pic for an ID when I saw this thread. So, not to confuse the issue, but is this the same as Mvespa's or do I need to post it separately? It looks the same, but I'm not certain they're are the same. :)
Thanks,
Deb

Debin - This is an assassin bug - good guy in that it eats other insects. (Bad guy in a butterfly garden, though, cuz it also eats caterpillars). Not the same as Mvespa's. Her's were leaf-footed bug nymphs, which suck juice from plants.

Some differences to look for:
Assassins have longer, narrower heads with a shorter probosicis (the mouth) that does not go underneath the body.

LFBs have shorter heads and their proboscis is longer and is carried under the body when not in use. It is also thinner. They also have two spots on their back. As they grow, their back legs start to enlarge, and that can usually be seen by the second instar, definitely by the third. Hope this will help you in the future....

CJ

This message was edited Jul 14, 2007 10:53 PM

i'm having a blonde senior moment....now, which is which. are deb and mvespa's bugs the same thing? which is good, which is bad?

CJ, didn't you once say that the predator bugs aren't as gregarious as most other bugs? Sorry, I don't remember exactly what you said, but it may also help in id'ing them. I'm having a blond senior moment too haha

I tried to help out with the physical differences in my previous post. Sorry if it didn't work....

No, deb's and mvespa's bugs aren't the same. mvespa's are the leaf-footed bug nymphs-considered pests because they suck juice from plants and fruit, such as tomatoes. Deb's are the assassin bug nymphs-considered beneficial because they eat other insects.

When you find a whole bunch of bugs together (that didn't just hatch from their eggs), they will be pest insects. Frequently you'll find different instars (different stages) together too. The family and relatives have gathered for the reunion and are having a picnic.

Assassins will be alone. (Except for when they first hatch, as I said before.)


This message was edited Jul 14, 2007 10:54 PM

thank you very much.

Thanks for the I.D. Ceejay!
Deb

Are these ones the good guy or the bad guys? They are on my passion flower vines Paul

I bet they're the "bad" (plant eating) ones, cause they're in a group. If I've gotten it right. :) Ceejay?
Deb

Give yourself an A+, Deb!! Yes, those are the bad Leaf-footed bug nymphs just asuckin' the juice out of your passion flower vine, phicks.

And look at the physical description - two black dots on their backs, and they're fat little guys too! If you look closely, their beaks (sucking mouthpart - like a straw) are stuck into the plant. That right there tells you what they eat - another way to tell the difference.

Thanks Ceejay. Going out to get rid of them. Paul

I'm glad to have found this post. I think this is what I found today on my Turk's cap flower. So the soap and water method will get rid of these guys?

Seems like everyday I find some new wierd bug in my garden.

Ok. I've read all the way down. And I DEFINITELY know what those are. They are the Leaf Footed Stinkbug NYMPHS. I was quite intimate with them in my very first tomato growing experience. They don't jump, bite, or fly, and they have very poor balance. My pesticide of choice was mashing them with the (gloved) palm of my hand. Which is how I got intimately acquainted with them. In fact, I only missed a few, which grew up to be Leaffooted STINKBUGS. They poke holes in the maters and suck, leaving a decaying spot where they poke. I watched them quite closely as I was trying to learn about stuff in my first vegetable-growing experience. It seems they have particular appetites too, just like we do. They didn't attack just any (or all) of the maters. They had a preference and hung out there. Also, you have to eradicate them as NYMPHS, cause once they grow up, an A-Bomb won't help. The nymphs do NOT like soapsuds. I sprayed Ortho Bug-Be-Gone with a few drops of Ajax lemon dish detergent. Every 5 days is the best spraying cycle. When you spray, start from the bottom and spray the undersides of the leaves working your way up. Then spray from the top back down until you have a little bit of run-off. Remember to spray the undersides of any fruit, cause these NYMPHS are shy, and hide behind the fruit! If you truly wanna go organic, put on a rubber glove, knock them down and pop them with the palm of yor hand! you actually get a whole lot of them this way, and you KNOW they're gone.

Hope this has been helpful. Here's a pic of a Leaffooted Stinkbug Nymph. I call them Big Orange Ants...

This message was edited Aug 9, 2007 9:17 AM

This message was edited Aug 9, 2007 9:18 AM

I think this can be marked SOLVED...

Another way to ID these bugs is the white spots where they have fed on the plants.