red & black insect

Posted by Michele on June 4, 2012 at 10:57am

looks like a boxelder bug (according to Google), except not as flat & I have LOTS of them on my tomato plants.  I'll try to catch one for a photo.

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  • Michele June 6, 2012 at 6:16pm

    here's a photo.

    P1040061.JPG

    https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/5021761263?profile=original
    • Ericka > Michele June 8, 2012 at 5:23pm

      seed bug nymph most likely. Those darn bugs are procreating all over the place around here :) If there are open wounds in fruits they will take advantage of the moisture and suck on the juice...not actually harming the plant though.

    • Sheri Schmeckpeper > Michele June 8, 2012 at 10:11am

      I poked around a bit online & in a book, & couldn't find your bug at first. But, judging on what I did see in other bugs, the wing buds make it look like a nymph. A search for nymphs, and I found the milkweed bug: http://myqualityday.blogspot.com/2010/09/another-orange-bug.html, which I suspect it is.

      Here's a writeup from ASU: http://insected.arizona.edu/milkinfo.htm

      Here's an image on BugGuide: http://bugguide.net/node/view/147264

      The problem is, a tomato isn't a milkweed....

      I'd watch them closely to see if they're harming the plant.

      Another Orange Bug
      Yesterday, did you notice a mass of orange ovals in the third picture, below the caterpillar? They are today's feature. These are the Milk...
    • Michele > Sheri Schmeckpeper June 8, 2012 at 10:55am

      thanks!  they are eating the sides from the tomatoes.

    • Sheri Schmeckpeper > Michele June 8, 2012 at 3:28pm

      Ooh, can't have that! You may need to show them the website that says the only eat milkweed. LOL! The next stage is reproduction, so you might want to get rid of them while they're still nymphs.

  • Michele June 6, 2012 at 5:05pm

    here's a photo.

  • Erica (Dawnfire) June 4, 2012 at 9:34pm

    Maybe? http://greenoc.freedomblogging.com/2009/08/03/red-bug-makes-first-a...

  • Michele June 4, 2012 at 8:38pm

    it doesn't look like a seed bug or a leaf footed bug (judging by google images).  so far, the closest photo is the boxelder bug, but that doesn't seem logical.  thanks for the ideas.

    • Sheri Schmeckpeper > Michele June 4, 2012 at 9:25pm

      If you get the opportunity to post a picture, I'm sure it can be identified quickly. :)

  • Ericka June 4, 2012 at 6:27pm

    Without a photo, cannot be certain, but most likely it is a "seed bug" and poses no harm to you or the garden. They are everywhere this time of year and eat seeds, though I have never seen them do it though LOL! I think they eat tiny seeds (like wild mustard and the like) so in some ways beneficial...

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