Absolutely disgusting grub-like larvae on my huckleberries!

Paducah, KY

Alright...

I love bugs. I really do. I'd much rather take a hornworm and move it to an empty lot or toss snails into the leaf pile than I would kill them. And so I do.

But not today.

I have a small grouping of huckleberry plants in my garden. I've never grown them before, but I was told that virtually NOTHING would bother them. This morning, I went out to do the rounds and I noticed that many of the leaves on my huckleberries had been reduced to skeletons. I flipped over a half eaten leaf and almost lost my breakfast--there was a tightly packed row of these little grub-like creatures with beady black heads, lined up like suckling piglets. The best part is, the ants were "milking" them, much as they do with aphids.

I blasted all of the plants with soapy water and removed the affected leaves, but what I really want to know is what on EARTH are these creatures??? What do they become? Is constant spraying of soapy water enough to get rid of them?

Picture is forthcoming! Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

-Moonpye

Paducah, KY

Here's a picture of the things. I killed most of them off, but this leaf didn't get hit with the soapy water: I'll x-post this to Bug Identification...I didn't even know there was a forum for that!

Thumbnail by Moonpye
The Woodlands, TX(Zone 9a)

http://bugguide.net/node/view/189313/bgimage

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