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Florida Gardening

tomato bug id -- anyone know what this orange bugs are?

an_ill-mannered_ache

16 years ago

i found these bugs on one of my green tomatoes. i'd LIKE to think they're some beneficial bug, since they don't seem intent on eating anything. but the way they move and the way they're gathered, make me think they're trouble. at this point, i only have a dozen or so full-sized tomatoes ripening on two plants, so i'll just rip them out if it's a serious infestation & have some fried green tomatoes...

it's HOT out, and i'm too lazy to take better pictures:

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Comments (4)

ariel73
16 years ago
They look like assassin bug nymphs

Here is a link that might be useful: bug
an_ill-mannered_ache
Original Author
16 years ago
yeah, that's what i thought, too. but over on the tomato forum, they id'd it as leaf-footed stink bug nymph. check out the color plates:

http://ftsg.ifas.ufl.edu/LFBIBC.HTM

i sprayed some pyrethrin and smushed the ones i could find. at this point in the game, the tomatoes are pretty unhealthy. if this does the trick, great. i'll count my blessings to have had fresh tomatoes from march to july.

if not, hello fried green tomatoes and southern peas!
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A beetle for sure. Looks like a blister beetle--usually from 1/2 to 3/4 inches long. Blister beetles feed on the leaves of various vegetables. Check to see if any leaves are chewed or stripped. An oil on the beetle will cause skin to blister--handpick with gloves or knock into soapy water. (Some blister beetles are gray, some black, some metallic, some with strips or spots--depends on speicies.) Here is a link that might be useful: HarvestToTable.com
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Thank you very much for the reply. It's definitely appreciated. Do you happen to know of any sort of organic sprays that I could put on the plants to prevent aphids from returning once I've pinched 'em all away? I think I might try spraying them off into a ditch or something because finding them all and pinching every one of them might be a bit too tedious for my likes. Thank you again.
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gcmastiffs
16 years ago
UGH! They are disgusting! They suck the juices out of fruits and veggies, leaving dimples in the skin. I'm finding them on my Barbados Cherries, and they give me the creepy-crawlies!

They certainly do STINK when crushed..

The sprayer comes out tomorrow.. I'll enjoy blasting them.

Lisa
gloriamr
16 years ago
first I had hornworms then these guys showed up, all clustered on one single tomato...sprayed them into oblivion...haven't seen them back. Hope you have good luck.

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