Insect ID

[pinksand]

My coreopsis stems are covered with small red insects. They've been on the plant for about a week and the plant doesn't appear to be showing any damage from their presence (at least not yet externally). The leaves show no sign of stippling or being eaten in any way. It looks like some of them may now have wings.

[rainbowgardener]

Do they look like this:



Those are nymphs (juvenile forms) of leaf footed bugs, related to squash bugs and stink bugs. They are sap-suckers, suck the juices out of the plants.

Thistles are a good trap crop for them.

Leaf footed bugs do have wings, but you rarely see them opened up.

This is the adult, leaf footed bug:

[pinksand]

They're so tiny, it's hard to tell but I think it looks like a match.

Squish them then? It's strange that the coreopsis seems undamaged in any way.

[imafan26]

the adults will chew the leaves until nothing is left. They are related to stink bugs I think. When you squish them they smell pretty bad. I netted my garden, but once they got in they could multiply very fast. I used to go out with a bag and catch them. They don't move that fast. There are just a lot of them.

http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74168.html

[Lindsaylew82]

Agree!