Anything that lays eggs on a vegetable plant is 90+% likely to be a pest you don't want. Bugs lay eggs on plants that the young are supposed to feed on. Eggs on veggies almost always equal something squish worthy. I commend you for wanting to know what the bug is (will be) before killing it, that is noble. The sad truth is that while there are zillions of bugs out there, many good, many harmless when it comes to veggy gardens the ratio is turned upside down. Most bugs in a veggy garden are either harmful or there to eat harmful bugs and bugs that lay eggs on veggies almost always are the harmful ones. Eggs on veggies=squish.

I hadn't gotten back to check the bush cherry until this morning. They weren't lady bugs. Appear to be little black aphids in large numbers now, and they have chewed the newest leaves all up. I took the bird cage off the bush in the hopes that the bluebirds that are nesting about 15' away might eat the aphids. When the rain stops, I'll have to try blasting the aphids with the hose. If that doesn't help, I'll have to use some soap spray and put the bird cage back over it, so the bluebirds don't eat the soapy bugs. The final weapon would be insecticide with the cage over them to protect the bluebirds, since the bush is too small to produce cherries yet, anyway.

Not eggs. A fungus-like organism "feeding" on the dead organic matter. Won't damage man, beast, or living plants.

I live in on old farm land outside of Chicago. The bug was a greyish-beige and about 1 inch long. I tried to take a picture but she was laying eggs during the night, so none of the pictures came out. It was the first time I've ever even seen what kind of bug it was laying the eggs. I'll keep an eye out...if I ever see one during the day, I'll post a picture.