Friend or foe on my California Wonder?

TexasTycoon · April 11, 2016

Can anyone help identify this critter that looks kinda like a dragonfly?

TexasTycoon · April 11, 2016

That stake on the left is a little thicker than pencil width, if that helps with scale.

Worth1 · April 11, 2016

Looks like a mayfly.
Harmless if it is.
Worth

heirloomtomaguy · April 11, 2016

I shoot and ask questions later. It cant ruin your plants if its dead. If its harmless then you killed a bug no biggie.

sjamesNorway · April 15, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by heirloomtomaguy

I shoot and ask questions later. It cant ruin your plants if its dead. If its harmless then you killed a bug no biggie.

Gotta differ! If you kill a ladybug or a lacewing, for example, you're killing an ally in your garden. (lacewing = Chrysopidae feed on a variety of soft-bodied insects, but mostly on aphids and mealybugs. Leafhoppers, thrips, lecaniine Coccidae, mites, etc., may also be attacked.)

heirloomtomaguy · April 15, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by sjamesNorway

Gotta differ! If you kill a ladybug or a lacewing, for example, you're killing an ally in your garden. (lacewing = Chrysopidae feed on a variety of soft-bodied insects, but mostly on aphids and mealybugs. Leafhoppers, thrips, lecaniine Coccidae, mites, etc., may also be attacked.)

This year in order to kill thrips and spider mites everything has to die, friendlies included. It stinks but if i want maters its the only way. The point i was trying to make was rather than take a pic of an unknown bug and wait for one of us to identify it, i would kill the 1 bug i found instead of riskimg letting it get away just in case it was a bad bug.

sjamesNorway · April 15, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by heirloomtomaguy

This year in order to kill thrips and spider mites everything has to die, friendlies included. It stinks but if i want maters its the only way. The point i was trying to make was rather than take a pic of an unknown bug and wait for one of us to identify it, i would kill the 1 bug i found instead of riskimg letting it get away just in case it was a bad bug.

That's reasonable.

b54red · April 15, 2016

There are just times when you have to either give up on having a productive garden some seasons or take out some friendlies in order to stop an invasion. I try not to use any more toxic options than are necessary but many times down here there is no other choice. I think it was three years ago that I didn't have to use any pesticides organic or not the whole season because I had a huge influx of Assassin bugs along with plenty of ladybugs and lacewings. That was a wonderful season but it is very rare down here where the pests seem able to overwhelm the beneficial insects most summers. There is one pest down here that gets the full toxic treatment every year now since I first tried it and it worked wonderfully and that is Squash Vine Borers. I dust powdered Sevin on the lower part of the stems and reapply it every time it rains hard enough to wash it off. Before doing this I would lose 75% of my squash plants before they made more than a few squash and now if I keep up with dusting the base of the plants I can have squash til I get sick of them.

Bill

AlittleSalt · April 11, 2016

It does look like a Mayfly. You can find a lot of them around fresh water lakes, rivers, creeks, etc.

Worth1 · April 11, 2016

Don't kill it, it is a Mayfly.

They dont even eat after they are adults and never hurt plants in any way.

Worth

AlittleSalt · April 11, 2016

Here's from a link https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q...lies+eat%3F%22

Hence they are known as detritivores as well as herbivores. Typically, they feed on algae, which they collect by grazing among stones and weeds. Some mayfly species have adaptations that allow them to eat small food particles and some of the larger species can be carnivorous and prey on other aquatic insects.

TexasTycoon · April 11, 2016

After googling, I agree that it's probably a little mayfly! Glad I didn't kill him. Makes sense since we live near a pond, I bet we'll see more around.

Thanks for the help!

heirloomtomaguy · April 11, 2016

Alright alright alright let it live its a mayfly and its good for lakes and rivers.

Worth1 · April 11, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by heirloomtomaguy

Alright alright alright let it live its a mayfly and its good for lakes and rivers.

Which goes in direct agreement to your statement at the end of each post if you think about it.
Sometimes the easy way isn't always best.

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."

Dutch · April 12, 2016

If you give it a little nudge from behind with a tooth pick,
it may fly.

Dutch

April 11, 2016	#2
TexasTycoon Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2015 Location: Round Rock, TX, Zone 8b Posts: 1,157	That stake on the left is a little thicker than pencil width, if that helps with scale. __________________ -Kelly "To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow." - Audrey Hepburn Bloom where you are planted.

April 11, 2016	#4
heirloomtomaguy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2013 Location: glendora ca Posts: 2,560	I shoot and ask questions later. It cant ruin your plants if its dead. If its harmless then you killed a bug no biggie. __________________ “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."

April 11, 2016	#12
TexasTycoon Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2015 Location: Round Rock, TX, Zone 8b Posts: 1,157	After googling, I agree that it's probably a little mayfly! Glad I didn't kill him. Makes sense since we live near a pond, I bet we'll see more around. Thanks for the help! __________________ -Kelly "To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow." - Audrey Hepburn Bloom where you are planted.

April 11, 2016	#13
heirloomtomaguy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2013 Location: glendora ca Posts: 2,560	Alright alright alright let it live its a mayfly and its good for lakes and rivers. __________________ “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."

April 12, 2016	#15
Dutch Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: S.E. Wisconsin Zone 5b Posts: 1,831	If you give it a little nudge from behind with a tooth pick, it may fly. Dutch __________________ "Discretion is the better part of valor" Charles Churchill The intuitive mind is a gift, and the rational mind is a faithful servant. But we have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift. (paraphrased) Albert Einstein I come from a long line of sod busters, spanning back several centuries.

April 11, 2016	#3
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	Looks like a mayfly. Harmless if it is. Worth

April 15, 2016	#8
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	There are just times when you have to either give up on having a productive garden some seasons or take out some friendlies in order to stop an invasion. I try not to use any more toxic options than are necessary but many times down here there is no other choice. I think it was three years ago that I didn't have to use any pesticides organic or not the whole season because I had a huge influx of Assassin bugs along with plenty of ladybugs and lacewings. That was a wonderful season but it is very rare down here where the pests seem able to overwhelm the beneficial insects most summers. There is one pest down here that gets the full toxic treatment every year now since I first tried it and it worked wonderfully and that is Squash Vine Borers. I dust powdered Sevin on the lower part of the stems and reapply it every time it rains hard enough to wash it off. Before doing this I would lose 75% of my squash plants before they made more than a few squash and now if I keep up with dusting the base of the plants I can have squash til I get sick of them. Bill

April 11, 2016	#9
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	It does look like a Mayfly. You can find a lot of them around fresh water lakes, rivers, creeks, etc.

April 11, 2016	#10
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	Don't kill it, it is a Mayfly. They dont even eat after they are adults and never hurt plants in any way. Worth