Insect identification

[Shrinkrap]

Does anybody know what this is, or have a source for figuring it out? I am hoping they are insects that eat bad bugs, and not the kind that damage fruit. But they seem to be hanging around fruit.

[KarenO]

assassin bugs think
predators if so
KarenO

[Shrinkrap]

That was a name that came to mind. Thanks!

[brownrexx]

I thought that they may be nymphs of leaf footed bugs. They look very similar and you can Google to see the differences. The leaf footed bug nymphs will be found in groups and they do like fruit but the assassin bugs hunt alone so you will not find them in a big group.

[Shrinkrap]

Originally Posted by brownrexx

I thought that they may be nymphs of leaf footed bugs. They look very similar and you can Google to see the differences. The leaf footed bug nymphs will be found in groups and they do like fruit but the assassin bugs hunt alone so you will not find them in a big group.

Thanks!
Somebody said that in another forum. I found a " leaf-hpopper assassin bug”.

But that might be denial.

https://m.wikihow.com/Kill-Leaf-Footed-Bugs

This is definately a group.

In another part of the garden I have what looks like leaf footed bugs. I thought they were stink bugs. What's the differrence?

This was interesting.

"these Leaf Footed Bug nymphs are phytophagous, meaning they feed on plants. Like other members of the True Bug suborder Heteroptera, they have mouths designed to pierce and suck fluids,"


https://www.whatsthatbug.com/2018/04...y-woody-plant/

[Tracydr]

Originally Posted by brownrexx

I thought that they may be nymphs of leaf footed bugs. They look very similar and you can Google to see the differences. The leaf footed bug nymphs will be found in groups and they do like fruit but the assassin bugs hunt alone so you will not find them in a big group.

I’m almost sure you’re right, bad bug.

[brownrexx]

Leaf footed bugs are a type of stink bug. There are many kinds of stink bugs.

[Shrinkrap]

Originally Posted by brownrexx

Leaf footed bugs are a type of stink bug. There are many kinds of stink bugs.

Thank you both!

Yesterday I downloaded "Excellent PDF about bad, and beneficial stink bugs" shared by arena on the "friend or for" thread, and learned a lot! That's a lot of information!

I found this helpful as well.
https://m.wikihow.com/Kill-Leaf-Footed-Bugs

We have had some amazingly mild weather for the most part, but we will have a spare of 90's and 100's which always made me nervous about spraying.


I tried vacuuming them yesterday, but only caught one.
@b54red, When you say "kill them quickly", did you have a method in mind?

[b54red]

Originally Posted by Shrinkrap

Thank you both!

Yesterday I downloaded "Excellent PDF about bad, and beneficial stink bugs" shared by arena on the "friend or for" thread, and learned a lot! That's a lot of information!

I found this helpful as well.
https://m.wikihow.com/Kill-Leaf-Footed-Bugs

We have had some amazingly mild weather for the most part, but we will have a spare of 90's and 100's which always made me nervous about spraying.


I tried vacuuming them yesterday, but only caught one.
@b54red, When you say "kill them quickly", did you have a method in mind?

I use a hand spray bottle with a mix of Dawn dish washing liquid and Permethrin. I use the garden and livestock 10% permethrin and for killing the individual bugs or the little herds of nymphs I mix about 1/2 teaspoon of the Permethrin and a teaspoon of Dawn in a quart sprayer. By spraying only the bugs I don't have to worry too much about using so much poison and Permethrin is relatively mild. It is the same poison used in most dog dips to kill fleas. Just like stinkbugs if you allow them to multiply they can cause a huge amount of damage to many things in the garden particularly tomatoes and bell peppers.

I found one lone adult yesterday when fertilizing and sprayed it on my hot pepper plant. Hopefully before it laid eggs but time will tell. By doing this since spring with both stinkbugs and leaf footed bugs I haven't had to do a general spray get them under control this year or last.

If your ripe tomatoes and ripe bell peppers are showing round spots about 3/8ths of and inch to 1/2 inch usually near or on the top of the fruit then you may have a good number of the pests and you may have to spray all your plants to get them under control. Otherwise keep an eye out for the little orange herds and kill them all!

Bill

[Shrinkrap]

Thank you!

I do have the "halo" thing scattered on some of my tomatoes, which is where I've seen a few stink bugs. Maybe three out of seven harvested tomatoes. It seems more obvious when the tomatoes are cut open, and I have not cut most of my harvested tomatoes.
I have seen two or three stinkbugs since starting this thread.That would be three bugs on about twenty plants.
I have not seen halos or stink bugs on my peppers, where I saw the nymphs. The "nymph" peppers are several yards away from the stink bug tomatoes.I have not been searching too aggressively.
I dusted with diatomaceous earth yesterday, before I read the last posts, but am trying to wait until temps drop below 95 to spray. I was thinking neem oil, but I think I have a version of permethrin.
ETA no; I have pyrethrins.
https://www.hunker.com/12224525/pyrethrin-vs-permethrin

[b54red]

Originally Posted by Shrinkrap

Does anybody know what this is, or have a source for figuring it out? I am hoping they are insects that eat bad bugs, and not the kind that damage fruit. But they seem to be hanging around fruit.

I hate to break it to you but those are leaf footed bugs. Kill them quickly while they are grouped together because once they get large they will disperse and lay eggs all over your garden and then you will have a lot more of them. I use a small spray bottle with Permethrin and Dawn to get those small groups like that.

If you look at the bug in the shadow of the fruit you can see the thickening of the lower back leg. Sometimes that is very hard to determine when they first hatch out but if you look close you will see it on some of them within a day or so.

Bill

[Dewayne mater]

You will almost never see assassin bugs in numbers. You will almost always see leaf footed bugs (nymphs in this case) in numbers. If I see two or more, I waste no time killing them and looking for additional eggs. Bad dudes.