They're baa.ck !

[Tonio]

K, they Bas*%#d's are back.

Can anyone ID the critters?

T
CLICK for larger pic

younger pup
[url=https://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g259/ttonio/bug2.jpg][img]https://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g259/ttonio/th_bug2.jpg[/img][/url]
fuggly eater
[url=https://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g259/ttonio/bug1.jpg][img]https://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g259/ttonio/th_bug1.jpg[/img][/url]

[Kisal]

It looks rather like either a ground beetle or a tiger beetle to me. Maybe one of these. They're mostly predators. I've always considered them my friends in the garden. Do you have reason to believe they're harming your plants?

[img]https://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh27/Kisal_photos/7945096.jpg[/img]

More info available at:

https://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/ground-beetles

[Tonio]

They did hang around watermelons and bell peppers last year. They appeared to munch on the tender leaves of the pepper mostly- but no too much damage.
They are hard to remove from plants, as they are pretty quick but do not fly. They multiply faster than bunnys!!

May be a beetle, but only wings , no protective shell makes me think it can't be a beetle?

T

[Kisal]

They might be juvenile beetles. The full wings and wing covers don't appear until the adult stage.

The fact that the antennae are positioned below the eyes, and the they sweep backward, are both indicators of tiger beetles, if I recall correctly. I'll try to do some further research and let you know what I find.

[GardenRN]

While the adults may be predators, wouldn't the grubs (larvae) be bad to have around? I always squish those black beetles because I figure they are going to make babies that I don't want. Have I been wrong on this one?

[Kisal]

I encourage them in my yard. I've actually observed them attacking and eating snails, and any enemy of a snail is a friend of mine!

[nedwina]

They did hang around watermelons and bell peppers last year. They appeared to munch on the tender leaves of the pepper mostly- but no too much damage.
They are hard to remove from plants, as they are pretty quick but do not fly. They multiply faster than bunnys!!

May be a beetle, but only wings , no protective shell makes me think it can't be a beetle?

T

It's a "true" bug. Looks like the Red Shouldered Bug, Jadera haematoloma.

https://aces.nmsu.edu/ces/yard/2007/033107.html

https://www.coopext.colostate.edu/4dmg/Pests/red.htm

Most sites say they're nothing to get worried about- more of a nuisance than a serious pest. Kinda creepy lookin' though!

[nedwina]

While the adults may be predators, wouldn't the grubs (larvae) be bad to have around? I always squish those black beetles because I figure they are going to make babies that I don't want. Have I been wrong on this one?

Probably.

Alotta grubs just eat decaying organic matter. Some are a potato & a sweet potato pest, but if you treat just the area you're going to plant with beneficial nematodes, damage will be minimized or nonexistent.

Japanese beetle grubs can only be found in turf. They eat grass roots.

Grub ID is tough. But in general, most are not a problem and should be left alone. (IMO, anyhoo~ )

Scroll down for some truely gorgeous Tiger Beetles: https://beetlesinthebush.wordpress.com/tag/tiger-beetles/

[GardenRN]

wow, I've been squishing grubs too. Once in a while I come across some really big fat ones when digging. they're like 2" long and a solid 1/4" arcoss. Guess I'll have to reevaluate my bug genocide. although....killing a japanese beetle grub is just fewer jap beetles...and thats good! Cuz those things can destroy some plants! they get into my corn, morning glories, and anything else I don't watch closely!

[Tonio]

T

It's a "true" bug. Looks like the Red Shouldered Bug, Jadera haematoloma.

https://aces.nmsu.edu/ces/yard/2007/033107.html

https://www.coopext.colostate.edu/4dmg/Pests/red.htm

Most sites say they're nothing to get worried about- more of a nuisance than a serious pest. Kinda creepy lookin' though![/quote]

Ding ding ding !! We have a winner- The pics on your 2nd link is it, but your first link mentioned they feed on goldenrain tree which I have.
The red-shouldered bugs are more difficult to manage outside. The red-shouldered bug prefers to feed on the goldenrain tree and chinaberry tree, but may also be found on althea (rose-of-sharon), arbor vitae, Western soapberry trees, boxelder trees and some fruit trees. The early stage nymphs are bright red with black legs and no wings. Later stages of the nymph begin to develop wing pads and more adult appearance.

They are'nt too scary, at least not as much as the tiger beetle LOL

Thanks for the ID nedwina.

T

[nedwina]

Ding ding ding !! We have a winner- The pics on your 2nd link is it, but your first link mentioned they feed on goldenrain tree which I have.
The red-shouldered bugs are more difficult to manage outside. The red-shouldered bug prefers to feed on the goldenrain tree and chinaberry tree, but may also be found on althea (rose-of-sharon), arbor vitae, Western soapberry trees, boxelder trees and some fruit trees. The early stage nymphs are bright red with black legs and no wings. Later stages of the nymph begin to develop wing pads and more adult appearance.

They are'nt too scary, at least not as much as the tiger beetle LOL

Thanks for the ID nedwina.

T

You're welcome. I love a good online bug ID chase. And that was such a cool lookin' bug, I wanted to know too!

[nedwina]

wow, I've been squishing grubs too. Once in a while I come across some really big fat ones when digging. they're like 2" long and a solid 1/4" arcoss. Guess I'll have to reevaluate my bug genocide. although....killing a japanese beetle grub is just fewer Japanese beetles...and thats good! Cuz those things can destroy some plants! they get into my corn, morning glories, and anything else I don't watch closely!

We have those too. They are huge. I suspect that they are Green June Beetle grubs, since we have a period around midsummer where there are about 25 or so flying around & hanging out in the asparagus. Not a huge pest here, so I leave 'em alone, but they can be a problem elsewhere.

https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/lh037

In order to have lots of predators; birds, wasps, etc., you need a healthy population of prey to inspire them to stick around. My place is pretty wild and I find that if I'm patient, some local predator will come along and deal with whatever pest problem I'm having. That works mostly with flea beetles & aphids, but not so much with cabbage loopers. (Though I did get a few predatory stink bugs who preyed on those last season, and that was really cool to discover.)

I heard on another forum awhile back that Japanese beetles prefer amaranth, so you could try a trap crop thingy with that & see if it works for you. Here the few JBs that show up prefer a native knotweed that grows at the edge of my field, so they aren't much of a problem. For now, I should say. That can always change!

[rainbowgardener]

Wild grape vine makes a great trap crop for Japanese Beetles, especially when it is flowering!