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Oklahoma Gardening

squash bug eggs and ???? what are tiny yellow eggs on okra

14 years ago

I know what squash bug eggs are and I get them off -- but I can't find what bug is putting tinier eggs that are yellow on my okra leaves. . . I don't want to kill them if they are beneficial bugs, but if they are something like a squash bug then I'd love to have the head start on them by getting the eggs -- if need be, I can take a pic of the tiny eggs - any one know what I'm talking about?

Thanks,

Melissia

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Comments (8)

christopherb
14 years ago
Melissia,

Many beetles have yellow eggs. Some destructive types like Mexican Bean Beetles and Colorado Potato Beetles for example have yellow eggs. Unfortunately, common types of Lady Bug eggs are yellow as well. Odds are if you have my luck they are bad beetles.

Christopher
S. OKC
Okiedawn OK Zone 7
14 years ago
Melissia,

But, if you have my luck, they could be ladybug eggs. We have hundreds of them around at any given time and they reproduce constantly. The lady bugs are one of our primary methods of pest insect control.

I've linked a photo of lady bug eggs and a couple of lady bug larvae for you. If you want to check out images of other insect eggs like the ones Christopher mentioned, just google and type in something like Mexican bean beetle egg image.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:52667}}
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How do you know that they are not squash bug eggs? Here are some more pictures links for squash bug eggs. Some of the pics are brown for the squash bug eggs, but I have interupted a squash bug on my zucchini plants while laying their eggs, and the eggs were yellow to orange in color. When they are first laid, they are yellow orange and only turn the dark red-brown as they get closer to hatching. One difference that I have noted is that the ladybug eggs are usuallyupright, while the others are laying sideways (I don't know if this is always true, just an observation) www.vegedge.umn.edu/IMG/cucurbits/SqBadbig.jpg and www.mobot.org/.../images/Pests/Pest298.jpg Good luck deciding to keep or kill....the ladybugs would be very beneficial, but if they are squashbugs, they could do damage, plus make the problem worse for next year since there would be more overwintering bugs.
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farmgardener
14 years ago
Dawn you are amazing! I've never met anyone so knowledgeable about so many subjects. I know what ladybug larvae look like but never seen the eggs. Thanks for keeping us informed.
okiefamily
14 years ago
Ewww! How can something so cute, look so gross to begin with?!
Okiedawn OK Zone 7
14 years ago
Farmgardener,

Thanks for the kind words. I have to confess that I had released ladybugs for years before I finally figured out what the larvae looked like....and then it was only because I saw these peculiar gray alligator-shaped things and wanted to know what they were. Much 'googling' later, I knew they were ladybug larvae.

Okiefamily,

You know, the larvae are actually cuter than they appear in that photo. Most of the ones I see are a lighter gray with some pale orange splotches. If I can google and find a photo of some that look like that, I will link it below. They do look really, really odd as they get older and begin to look more like actual lady bugs.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful:
devilwoman
14 years ago
Here's a link with more ladybug larvae pictures along with the adult version. I think I read that there's something like 500 different varieties of ladybugs in the US.

Debra

Here is a link that might be useful: Ladybug pictures
Okiedawn OK Zone 7
14 years ago
Debra,

I know we have many kinds here....mostly orange, but with different numbers of spots and patterns, and with different head colors. Every now and then we have a few solid black ones or the ones that are solid black with a couple of orange spots.

One year we oodles of some sort of beetle eating the willow leaves on the trees that grow on the edge of one of the ponds. At first I thought it was black ladybugs eating something that was eating the willows, but then couldn't find that 'something'. So I googled and discovered we had willow beetles.

The diversity in the insect world is amazing!

Dawn
melissia
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks -- I have lots of ladybugs so I'm not going to mess with the yellow eggs -- just the eggs I know for sure, the squash eggs : )

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