Sorry to say that it does seem like the same bug. Best to stop killing them and watch them cruising for aphids. It's very satisfying. Asata wrote: > Oh no! Madelin! I've been killing everyone of those boys I could find! > I hope we're not talking about the same bug. They seem to coincide with > holes showing up in my ornamentals. Although it's true I've never seen > them eating anything in particular. I'm originally from the east coast > where we did have lightning bugs. I've always taken note of those brown > bugs because when I first moved here I thought ( much to my > disappointment) that they were lightning bugs. The bug I'm thinking of > has a bit of orange or reddish color on their body that is noticeable when > they start to fly off. Does this sound like your aphid predator?