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bugs on flowers

12 years ago

I was going to post a picture but when I grabbed my camera, I soon realized that I forgot to recharge the battery last night! Don't you hate it when that happens? Anyway, the bugs are small, black and they seem to hop around. If you go back later, there are black 'freckles' left on the petals. If you rub it with your finger, it comes off. Makes me think it is excrement. Anyone have any ideas what they might be? I'm hesitant to spray because the farmer up the road uses beneficials and sometimes we get them in our garden. I'm hoping it might be a beneficial that's eating my thrips! They don't seem to be hurting the flowers. Any ideas? Marg

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Comments (5)

uppervalleygarden
12 years ago
They could be tarnished plant bugs. These critters are very "flighty" and seem to disappear when you disturb the bloom they are on (or they run to the backside of the flower). They are about 1/8" long and have patterning on their backs, and are oval-shaped. They do leave black spots. They are on my daylily blooms and zinnias. A small number of them don't do much harm, but a large infestation will attack the buds before they bloom and warp them. They are difficult to control; most sites I've seen just recommend that you keep weeds at bay and remove garden litter. Google them and you can take a look.
bambi_too
12 years ago
SEARS TOWER was just covered with little black bugs the other day, I took photos. I'll post one tomorrow after I add them to my photobucket account. BTW it was the only flower in the garden they liked.
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I'm going to disagree :-) Aphids seldom congregate on the woody portions of any plant - they are attracted only to leafy vegetation, which they use for sustenance as well as protection from predators. Nor do these resemble the appearance of aphids very much - no sign of legs or antennae/feeler and they appear to be attached to the twig at their base. These look to me more like the egg sacs/larvae/pupae of some other type of insect and should be easily removed just by brushing them off. If this is a current photo, I'd take a sample of this twig to your local extension offiice for ID (insect species can vary considerably as to locations). FWIW, crab apples are generally not bothered by many insects - a few caterpillar types and sometimes aphids, but generally not in any numbers that would cause a serious issue.
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in my z5 ... its getting time to almost be getting rid of annuals .. and cutting back perennials ... that time is near.. even in your zone 7 ... the point being.. at some point.. we dont treat bugs anymore ... and we dont do it prophylactically for next year... we clean up.. and wait and see.. if the problem recurs next year ... i cant really tell what the bugs are.. too far on the second pic.. but my gut suggests.. yea.. sometimes it talks to me.. earwigs ... if you want to discuss how to cut back perennials.. see you in that forum .... ken
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They appear to be varied carpet beetles, which are pollen eaters. I see them frequently on flowers in my gardens. The other (yellow box) is a lacewing larva. The latter is considered highly beneficial, feeding on soft bodied insects and eggs. The beetles, though not a good thing when found inside the home, do no damage to the flowers that they are found feeding on.
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Comments (1)
They look like flower thrips. A search for 'thrips on snapdragons' brought up this on the internet Flower focus: Snapdragons and I copied the below from the article: "Here in WA we are plagued by the western flower thrips and since our farm is managed organically there isn’t a real solution to the issue. After a few seasons of fretting about the millions of tiny dark specks crawling all over the blooms (they love snaps) I just stopped growing white, yellow and soft pink varieties. The thrips don’t damage the snapdragon flowers like they do with Roses or Lisianthus but on the light colored blooms they really stand out and attract attention. " Even though they are not particularly damaging I'd try knocking them off with a gentle shower of water while holding the stems with one hand so they don't break. If they persist try spraying them with neem oil that you can buy at almost any garden center already mixed and ready to spray in a small spray bottle.
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bambi_too
12 years ago
Did they look like this?

This is SEARS TOWER, it was the only flower they seemed to like.
marricgardens
Original Author
12 years ago
I did see the ones on mine today, just the one tho. There doesn't seem to be any more around, the daylilies are now clean. Mine was definitely the Tarnished Plant Bug. Marg
marricgardens
Original Author
12 years ago
I did see the ones on mine today, just the one tho. There doesn't seem to be any more around, the daylilies are now clean. Mine was definitely the Tarnished Plant Bug. Marg

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