Currently viewing the category: "Plant Bugs"

Scentless Plant Bugs on Rose of Sharon: Niesthrea louisianica

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Subject:  Weird beetle?
Geographic location of the bug:  Northwest Georgia
Date: 09/29/2021
Time: 04:48 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  I found these weird bugs all over my rose of Sharon tree in clusters on the buds that never opened. What are they?
How you want your letter signed:  Jms

Scentless Plant Bugs: Niesthrea louisianica

Dear Jms,
These are not Beetles.  They are Scentless Plant Bugs, Niesthrea louisianica, and all of our reports are on Rose of Sharon.

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Immature Scentless Plant Bugs

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Subject:  What is this?
Geographic location of the bug:  NB, Canada
Date: 08/19/2019
Time: 03:56 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Hello!
I came across this cluster of bugs today, all clumped together on a leaf. I’ve never seen this type before. It is mid-August, and a nice warm 27 degrees outside. Hoping you can help!
How you want your letter signed:  Thank you! Val

Immature Scentless Plant Bugs

Dear Val,
These are Niesthrea louisianica, immature Scentless Plant Bugs from the family Rhopalidae with no common name.  Here is a BugGuide image for comparison.  According to BugGuide:  “hosts include Hibiscus and other Malvaceae; feeds on flower buds and seeds; an important biocontrol agent of velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti).”

That’s wonderful! Thank you for the swift reply. Is it common to have them in New Brunswick, Canada?

BugGuide only reports the genus as far north as Maryland, so this range expansion might be a result of global warming.

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Eastern Boxelder Bug nymphs on Milkweed?????

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Subject:  Bugs on Butterlfy weed plant
Geographic location of the bug:  Annapolis, MD USA
Date: 06/19/2019
Time: 11:31 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  I have seen orange and blank milkweed bugs before, but these are bright pink and blue.
How you want your letter signed:  zelda

Why are Eastern Boxelder Bug nymphs on Milkweed?

Dear Zelda,
These are immature True Bugs, and we checked BugGuide to verify that they are not Large Milkweed Bug nymphs, nor do they match BugGuide images of Small Milkweed Bug nymphs.  They appear to be Eastern Boxelder Bug nymphs based on this BugGuide image, which begs the question:  Why are they on Milkweed?  We don’t know.  Is there a maple or boxelder tree nearby?

Thank you so much for replying. Yes, there is a maple tree not too far away, but not directly near this patch. So interesting – I will keep watching. Love the web site; I just found it!

We would love to see images of the winged adults.

Ok, I’ll be on the lookout – about how long does maturation take?

We suspect you should have adults within a month.

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Immature Red Shouldered Bugs

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Subject:  Red Bugs
Geographic location of the bug:  Florida
Date: 03/15/2019
Time: 03:01 PM EDTYour letter to the bugman:  I have no idea what these are, the only leads I have are Goldenrain Tree bugs, and they don’t match the description of one.
How you want your letter signed:  Ichneumon Wasp

Immature Red Shoulder Bugs

Dear Ichneumon Wasp,
We concur that these are immature Red Shoulder Bugs, also known as Goldenrain Tree Bugs, Jadera haematoloma, which are pictured on BugGuide.

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Western Boxelder Bug

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Subject:  Whats that Bug ?
Geographic location of the bug:  Vancouver Washington
Date: 01/29/2019
Time: 01:52 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Hi,
I have had a most distressing time attempting to determine the identity of this bug. It is a six legged black beetle of some kind but I fail to find any matching species in all of my research on the matter. I would be very appreciative if you could let me know what you think.
Regards,
How you want your letter signed:  Charles Richardson

Western Boxelder Bug

Dear Charles,
This is not a Beetle, but rather a True Bug, so that might have made your identification attempts more distressing.  It appears to be a Western Boxelder Bug, Boisea rubrolineata, and according to BugGuide:  “Particularly noticeable in fall (often invade homes in search of shelter to hibernate) and in spring (when they emerge).”  Boxelder Bugs often form aggregations with numerous individuals.

Daniel,
Thank you so much. I very much appreciate your response and reply. You guys are a godsend…
Best Regards,
Charles

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Bordered Plant Bugs in large numbers

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Subject:  Mystery bug in great numbers
Geographic location of the bug:  Houston, TX
Date: 10/21/2018
Time: 02:12 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  These mystery bugs have been found in great numbers in our backyard and behind our fence in a wetland. They don’t fly but crawl all over the place and only appeared after Hurricane Harvey flooded our whole area very badly for an extended time.
The chickens won’t eat them at all, unfortunately. I can’t find them anywhere on the web. Not sure if we should try to eradicate them or if they are harmless.
How you want your letter signed:  KK Rush

Bordered Plant Bugs

Dear KK Rush,
These appear to be Bordered Plant Bugs, Largus bipustulatus, which are pictured on BugGuide.  According to BugGuide, they are:  “ground-dwelling or associated with the vegetative parts of forbs, shrubs and trees.”

Thank you so much! I swear I dug around all through the ‘net.
I sure wish the chickens would eat them.

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