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Re: Bug ID, please

Can't figure out what the mint smelling plant next to your garage is but
your bugs "sound" like keel-backed tree hopper larvae (Antianthe
expansa). Earlier in the year, did you see any small wedge shaped green
bugs? That seem to just about bounce off quickly when you touch them?
They're very distinctive looking with their wedge shape. They attack my
tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, datura, well, anything in the solanacea
family. Don't know if they attack other plants as well. Ugly little
critters aren't they? Can't tell you if they bite/sting. Probably not but
I'm not about to touch them. Yuck! A hard spray of water helps, soapy
water is better and Sevin kills them dead. .
Poppy
poppie@juno.com
Southern California
On Mon, 11 Aug 1997 07:46:05 UT Lisa Beccia <MadScientist@MSN.COM>
writes:
>Okay...this is sorta going back a ways, but I'm totally out of my
>depth
>here...
>
>I have a wonderful backyard that previous owners created and I have NO
>clue
>how to maintain it all...the biggest problem I'm facing right now is
>this
>strange bug I'm finding on various plants...
>
>I first noticed it last year on a plant that borders my garage...I
>don't know
>what kind of plant it is...just that it grows like a weed and smells
>like mint
>when you cut the leaves, although it is no mint that I've ever seen...
>grows
>large like a mulberry (if you let it), but has tons of leaders.  No
>flowers,
>no fruits...just leaves.  Anyway, I was trimming it back last year and
>noticed
>a constant stream of ants up and down a couple of the branches...
>Looking
>closer, I noticed that where the ants were, there were also these MUCH
>larger
>bugs that seem to have spikes on them.  They are about as long as a
>pencil
>eraser is wide, sorta brownish-grey and black striped down the length
>of their
>bodies and definitely have six legs.  No discernible antennae.  When
>you
>vigorously shake the branch, the ants sometimes fall off, but NOT
>these
>suckers...  A strong spray of water only makes them move to the other
>side of
>the branch.  I wound up chopping this whole plant down to the ground.
>That
>got rid of the bugs LAST year.  The plant, btw, is even LARGER this
>year than
>last year! I wonder what it is! :)
>
>The bad news is that these lousy bugs have moved onto my tomatoes!!!!
>And,
>they've brought those rotten ants with them!! :(  They're also tearing
>into my
>antique rose bush...
>
>Oh, help!!! What kinda bug IS this thing?  I'm afraid to TOUCH the
>thing...
>I'm afraid it'll sting me or something...
>
>Whatever plants these bugs latch onto tend to totally droop, too.  It
>doesn't
>stop the plant fighting, though...they all try to grow even harder and
>bigger,
>BUT these bugs are literally sucking the LIFE out of these babies...
>
>Can someone PLEASE help me?  I'd like to encourage the things to move
>on to
>someone ELSE's backyard! :)
>
>Thanks!
>
>Lisa Lisa
>
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