Unmoving small black winged pests?

emcd124 · June 17, 2013

I'm having a hard time identifying these bugs. They are all over my Rutgers tom plant, primarily on the stems and undersides of leaves. They do not move, even when I ran my hands all over the plant and manually crushed them. They look a bit like dim-witted fruit flies. The closest description I've been able to find online are winged aphids, but they dont look much like any other description of aphids I've seen, and none seem to describe this weird non-moving response.

So far no notable plant distress other than a few leaves on one branch looking wilty (eg appearing under-watered, though the rest of the plant looks perky and we've been getting good rains lately). No yellowing or spots observed so far.

Can I get a positive ID on these guys and suggested treatment options?

I also noticed three or four tiny fast, scurrying things that looked like very red spiders (round body, legs sticking out), but pictures online of spider mites seem to show them as being microscopic, but these red buggers were easily visible to the naked eye, though not by any means large. They wouldnt stand still long enough for a photo though, so bonus points to anyone who wants to suggest an ID for the red mystery bugs too

thanks!

habitat_gardener · June 17, 2013

Yes, they look like aphids.

I've seen red spider mites -- they're tiny, but not microscopic. One source said they're half a milllimeter. The color makes them stand out.

Here's some info on spider mites in general.
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7405.html

June 17, 2013	#1
emcd124 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: South Bend, IN Posts: 104	Unmoving small black winged pests? I'm having a hard time identifying these bugs. They are all over my Rutgers tom plant, primarily on the stems and undersides of leaves. They do not move, even when I ran my hands all over the plant and manually crushed them. They look a bit like dim-witted fruit flies. The closest description I've been able to find online are winged aphids, but they dont look much like any other description of aphids I've seen, and none seem to describe this weird non-moving response. So far no notable plant distress other than a few leaves on one branch looking wilty (eg appearing under-watered, though the rest of the plant looks perky and we've been getting good rains lately). No yellowing or spots observed so far. Can I get a positive ID on these guys and suggested treatment options? I also noticed three or four tiny fast, scurrying things that looked like very red spiders (round body, legs sticking out), but pictures online of spider mites seem to show them as being microscopic, but these red buggers were easily visible to the naked eye, though not by any means large. They wouldnt stand still long enough for a photo though, so bonus points to anyone who wants to suggest an ID for the red mystery bugs too thanks!

June 17, 2013	#2
habitat_gardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: California Central Valley Posts: 2,543	Yes, they look like aphids. I've seen red spider mites -- they're tiny, but not microscopic. One source said they're half a milllimeter. The color makes them stand out. Here's some info on spider mites in general. http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7405.html