New insect in my garden, seems to be the theme this year

Francis Barnswallow · Fri May 13, 2011 7:33 pm

I've noticed a few small green grasshopper looking bugs about a 1/3 of an inch in length on the garden tomato plants today.

I'm starting to get concerned about these guys.

Rogue11 · Fri May 13, 2011 10:03 pm

Could they have been Praying Mantes? When they first swarm out after hatching you will sometimes find a few one the same plant.

Francis Barnswallow · Sat May 14, 2011 11:24 am

I don't think so. They looked like grasshoppers/crickets and as soon as I got close enough to ID the bug it jumped away. And now I'm noticing new small holes in the tomato leaves.

Rogue11 · Sat May 14, 2011 11:36 am

Okay, definitely not praying mantis then. They don't jump away they walk.

Avonnow · Sat May 14, 2011 2:51 pm

Hey Francis, me too - I am in Meritt Island, FL went out and these little tiny green - I thought crickets were on my tomato, could not have been more then 1.5 to 2 inches at most, real tiny. All green - I tried to get my daughters little cage to catch one but they were fast and so green then just blended into everything. Wonder, are they swarming in Florida???

I should have gotten the camera instead of the cage. Also how are the love bugs by you - they are HORRIBLE here, I put two sticky yellow tapes out yesterday, they were totally - I mean totally covered by days end. I hate Love Bugs.

sounds terrbile considering the name.

Francis Barnswallow · Sat May 14, 2011 3:20 pm

Wonder, are they swarming in Florida???

I think it's because it's been so hot and dry. I've read that in order to have a swarm of these guys, it needs to be dry for 2 to 3 years. We know that isn't possible here in Florida. Now that we're finally getting rain and cloudy weather, they should decrease in numbers....or so they say.

Also how are the love bugs by you - they are HORRIBLE here, I put two sticky yellow tapes out yesterday, they were totally - I mean totally covered by days end. I hate Love Bugs. sounds terrbile considering the name.

Love bugs are constantly flying into my face when I'm doing yard work/gardening. There's thousands of them on the front of my house and my neighbors houses as well. I hate them too.

But just imagine if they destroyed crops, or if they bit us like mosquitoes do. Imagine if they were poisonous.

It could be worse.

Kisal · Sat May 14, 2011 9:11 pm

Could they be leafhoppers? They come in various colors and are pretty tiny. They don't, however, have the large rear legs of a grasshopper.

Could you post a pic?

Francis Barnswallow · Sat May 14, 2011 9:50 pm

These have the big rear legs. As for a pic, I don't have one. I tried a google search and couldn't find any that resembled this critter. I'll have the camera ready just in case I'm lucky enough to see another one.

They are very hard to find because they are the exact color of a tomato leaf and are about the size of a nickle.

Kisal · Sat May 14, 2011 10:01 pm

Perhaps you just have baby grasshoppers. They hatch out quite small, and grow as they mature. Here's a pic of one:

[img]https://watermarked.cutcaster.com/cutcaster-photo-100259604-newborn-grasshopper.jpg[/img]

Francis Barnswallow · Sat May 14, 2011 10:22 pm

^that's pretty darn close to what it looked like. I don't remember them having antenna's though. Maybe I over looked it.

Kisal · Sat May 14, 2011 11:06 pm

Here's a representation of the various instars in the metamorphosis, starting at the upper left corner. The antennae are present, but not very noticeable.

[img]https://images-mediawiki-sites.thefullwiki.org/11/2/6/0/05292391796408564.png[/img]

Avonnow · Sun May 15, 2011 7:22 am

Thanks I think that is it, except the ones I saw were so green, I mean they blended so well into the leaves of the tomato it was hard to find them when I came back with the cage. They were so cute, I wanted to show my daughter - they just went through a section on insects in school. They are fast - it was like "blink"

and they were no where to be found - that I could see. I do hope they move on, last year I did have one large green grasshopper who literally lived in the garden and it seemed it was chewing the leaves on the bean plants. Really did no major damage, but it was only one. Thanks for the great picture. I have no idea how you got in so close and was able to get it on your hand.

Kisal · Sun May 15, 2011 9:59 am

It isn't a photo I took, just one I found online.

applestar · Sun May 15, 2011 10:57 am

If you have a butterfly net, you could "trawl" for them by skimming the foliage with the net open. My kids and do that in the garden to "see what we can find/catch" when cabbage whites are making themselves scarce.

Francis Barnswallow · Sun May 15, 2011 2:21 pm

arrghhh, I saw another one today, it's completely green with tiny yellow eyes. I tried to get a picture but it took off as soon as it saw me approach it.

but...

While I was trying to take a pic, I noticed a 2 1/2 inch horn worm inches from a baseball sized tomato. Thats the biggest pest I killed, and it was a gross "seek and squish". For now on they're bass food.

I'm also noticing small chunks missing on a few of my cherry tomatoes. Are those horn worms or fruit worms?

Francis Barnswallow · Fri May 20, 2011 1:34 pm

Avonnow have you noticed any more of these grasshoppers? I've noticed 4 within the last 24 hours. I finally got a pic (quality isn't that great), but I'm missing the USB cable that came with the camera.

kasimpkins · Tue Jul 05, 2011 11:00 pm

I've got those stupid green grasshopper looking bugs too! I'm in southern California and SO DONE with all the bugs in my garden this year!!

sheeshshe · Wed Jul 06, 2011 8:38 am

my kids have been catching the baby grasshoppers and putting them in babyfood jars and they're their 'pets" LOL! bright green as well and they blend right in with the leaves. we have tons though and they do do a lot of damage to our plants.