RyNJ
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Posts: 82
Joined: Thu Jul 28, 2011 9:48 pm
Location: West Central NJ, Zone 6B

Assassin bugs, correct?

[img]https://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x323/RyNJ/DSC01083.jpg[/img]

Found this bunch on one of my cherry tomatoes. Some were perched out keeping watch. Right near a dead caterpillar, so I assumed they might be good. I think there are some eggs, either new or that they came from, next to them. Should I be keeping them around?

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rainbowgardener
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Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

A little hard to tell, not real close up, but could be the the nymph of the assassin bug or of a leaf footed bug. Here's an image of the leaf footed bug nymph:

[url=https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://insects.tamu.edu/images/insects/hemiptera/leptoglossus_nymph_04.jpg&imgrefurl=https://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/aimg65.html&h=480&w=640&sz=79&tbnid=Jl6uFrYSeTtGYM:&tbnh=103&tbnw=137&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dleaf%2Bfooted%2Bbug%2Bnymph%2Bpictures%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=leaf+footed+bug+nymph+pictures&usg=__z0Ihc1OPLEZmQEiMKPZy-C2eS9I=&sa=X&ei=yWMOToGRFMGDsgLb-tG4Cg&ved=0CBoQ9QEwAA]leaf footed bug nymph[/url]

[img]https://insects.tamu.edu/images/insects/hemiptera/leptoglossus_nymph_04.jpg[/img]

and here is an assassin bug:

[url=https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://www.whatsthatbug.com/wp-content/uploads//2009/05/milkweed_assassin_nymph.jpg&imgrefurl=https://www.whatsthatbug.com/2009/05/11/milkweed-assassin-bug-nymph-3/&h=519&w=358&sz=31&tbnid=OK9fAstp-JlVXM:&tbnh=270&tbnw=186&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dassassin%2Bbug%2Bnymph%2Bpictures%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=assassin+bug+nymph+pictures&usg=__aymzz2LX8QH2EB4_Gwk_YmSoDFA=&sa=X&ei=d2QOTq6GA-7_sQLE4_WiCg&ved=0CBoQ9QEwAA]assassin bug nymph[/url]

[img]https://www.whatsthatbug.com/wp-content/uploads//2009/05/milkweed_assassin_nymph.jpg[/img]

It's important to distinguish them because assassin bugs are beneficials and leaf footed bugs definitely are not.

Here's a thread with some info about how to distinguish them

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=203255#203255

Here's the adult leaf footed bug

https://www.cirrusimage.com/bugs_leaf_footed.htm (scroll down, this shows the whole life cycle)


and the adult assassin bug:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_picture_candidates/Image:Assassin_bug_aug08_02.jpg
Last edited by rainbowgardener on Thu May 17, 2012 12:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PunkRotten
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Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2011 8:48 pm
Location: Monterey, CA.

I found this guy on my Serrano pepper plant and thought it was an assassin bug so I left it alone. But now it seems it has moved on anyway. I don't know if you can tell from this low quality pic.


[img]https://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c86/punkrotten/938_1486-1.jpg[/img]

RyNJ
Cool Member
Posts: 82
Joined: Thu Jul 28, 2011 9:48 pm
Location: West Central NJ, Zone 6B

junk.

[img]https://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x323/RyNJ/DSC01081.jpg[/img]

It would appear I let a whole lot of leaf footed bug nymphs get away. These don't have the hooked proboscises. Urrrrrrg. :evil: Uuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrg! At least I know what to squish if I see them again.

Thank you for the info, Rainbow!



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