Leaffooted Bugs

[AlittleSalt]

After the overnight/morning thunderstorms - I'll have to spray again, but this time I'll use the Worry Free with pyrethrums and add some Ajax. I don't have the DE yet. Money's tight.

[b54red]

I don't add the DE to my spray mix unless the forecast is for at least a few days without rain. Heavy rain just washes so much of it off that I find it far more effective to wait until the weather cooperates. I would just use Dawn and Permethrin until the rains let up.

Bill

[AlittleSalt]

Look for eggs on tomatoes too - not just the plants. They hatched while these tomatoes were waiting to be seed saved.

[Worth1]

Disgusting.

Worth

[AlittleSalt]

Waking up an older thread with a picture from today. Gardeners need to know about these horrible leaffooted bugs.

[AlittleSalt]

I inspected around 20 more thistle plants. The leaffooted bugs were only on the one plant pictured above. I cut off where the bugs were and put them in a mayo jar. Then I mowed the thistle plants. I'm going to spray with dishwashing liquid and Permethrin starting tonight after dinner.

[gssgarden]

I don't hate much but I HATE those things!!! The already showed up on my peach tree and blueberries.
I used garden safe insecticide on them. They dropped to the ground and haven't seen them in a week!

I REFUSE to let them get to my tomatoes! Lol

Greg

They are more disgusting even than aphids.

[AlittleSalt]

They are a lot like stinkbugs just way more aggressive and they reproduce so quickly. I didn't see one leaffooted bug in 2018. I had hoped they moved on or better yet - just died. Finding them today really caught my attention, and my heart sank a little.

[Worth1]

Just dont mistake them for Wheel bug nymphs.

[AlittleSalt]

I wish they were Wheel bugs. Assassin bugs are useful, but I've heard they can bite you and it's like getting stung by a scorpion. I've never been bitten or stung by one.

[Worth1]

My garden one year was covered in the critters.
One got in the house and one of my cats got bit by it on the lip.
His whole head was swollen up, he foamed at the mouth and squalled to beat all hell.

[b54red]

I had a lot of Assassin bugs in my garden one year and only one year and it was great because pest were all but non existent for one blessed season. The next year I thought they were coming back to help me again when I saw a host of juveniles everywhere. I didn't look closely at them until it was too late and I saw they were the dreaded leaf footed bugs. I only saw one Assassin bug that year and have only seen a few since then. I don't know what caused a bunch of them to show up out of the blue one year out of over 40 years of gardening. The other 40 years I have definitely had my share of leaf footed bugs.

I have found through trial and error, mostly error, that it is much easier to keep them under control if you start the season out searching for them and destroying them early so they don't have so much time to lay eggs and reproduce in great numbers. I keep my little hand sprayer bottle filled with my mix of Permethrin and Dawn on a table in the shade right next to my garden so it is handy. If I see any of the deadly three, stinkbugs, leaf footed bugs or squash bugs, I drop what I am doing and spray them immediately. I have been doing this for a few years and I haven't had any large scale infestations of any of them since I started doing this. I also haven't had nearly as many ruined tomatoes and peppers as I used to. If you give them and inch they'll take a mile.

Bill

[GoDawgs]

The leaf footeds are just now showing up and they seem to love the tomatillos! So far that's the only place I've found them. There were eight pairs out there this morning doing the nasty but thanks to Bill's tip about the spray bottle, it'll be their last tango in the tomatillos.

I keep that spray bottle right there in the garden now.

[b54red]

I haven't had as many leaf footed bugs this year as I usually do but I'm sure they will get more plentiful as the year moves on. I have seen more stinkbugs this year than last and about even on squash bugs although they showed up late they came on strong this past week. My little spray bottle has had to be refilled once already. I must be staying somewhat on top of them as I haven't noticed any fruit from either peppers or tomatoes with those spots yet.

Bad news for the bees and everything else that gets on my tomatoes now because I found a rather heavy infestation of spider mites on a couple of tomato plants and light infestations on a lot of my other older plants. I knew they were coming with this intense heat and dry weather but it is always a shock when you realize they are here already. I prefer they wait til August or even September because they are so hard to control and they do so much damage. I sprayed all my tomatoes with Permethrin, Dawn and DE this morning as soon as I saw the spider mite damage. I hate to use it in the morning but waiting just makes the problem worse. It is amazing how much damage they can do from morning til evening.

Dawg you better check close for spider mites if you are having the same hot dry weather. It is only a matter of time unless we get a good bit of rain which seems to delay them. I don't remember having to spray for them last year maybe that is why it was such a terrific tomato season for me.

Bill