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Can you ID these sparkling insect eggs?

8 years ago

I've never seen anything like these insect eggs. Any idea what they are? Maybe "eggs" isn't the right term. Larvae appear to be inside, looking like jewels of different colors housed in fragile gold, spiked cases. They're very tiny: The whole mass measures about 1/2" long. On the underside of a leaf, they caught my eye because they sparkle like crazy in the sun.

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rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

Yes, Podisus maculiventris....great picture of spined soldier bug eggs. They are nice little predators!

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Comments (6)

Alisande
Original Author
8 years ago
Never mind . . . a friend told me they're stink bug eggs. I was hoping for something more exotic. LOL
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
8 years ago
Susan, those are the eggs of the Spined Soldier Bug, a truebug species that predates on soft bodied insect larvae....caterpillars and similar.

When freshly laid, they are a pretty goldish color. These are either very close to hatching and/or have been invaded by a parasite which is developing inside the egg instead of the SSB.

Insect eggs can be glorious.
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I haven't the foggiest notion what they are, but I just found out there's a Garden Clinic Forum here on GW. That would be a good place to post your pics. Claire
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The plant was Calceolaria integrifolia Golden Nugget. The eggs were in rows that were like a rectangle and were light to medium brown. I have problems with aphids and white flies, but I looked up those eggs and ruled those out. I don't think they could be caterpillar eggs this time of year. But, I had a big problem last summer with something coming and eating all the lower leaves of annual poppies and even the roses. These guys loved to eat. We never saw what they were, but other gardeners told me they all had the same thing last week. It was not snails or slugs. I had to discard a lot of plants.
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Snail eggs are opaque. Slugs eggs are translucent or clear.
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Hi. I posted the same message with a photo on a different forum. I couldn't post a photo with this message because I didn't have the resizing software at the time. I suspect that they are butterfly eggs. I found one in my grapefruit mint yesterday. Didn't have my camera with me, or else I would have taken a photo it. Here is a link that might be useful: Insect eggs
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Alisande
Original Author
8 years ago
Insect eggs can be glorious.

I guess so! And especially to the insects, I imagine. :-)

Thanks, Rhizo!
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
8 years ago
The spined soldier bug could be called a type of stinkbug......but it's a more accurate identification for these eggs.

Ordinary stinkbug eggs are quite different.
Alisande
Original Author
8 years ago
A friend shared this photo from Oklahoma University:

Stink Bug Eggs

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