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Organic Gardening

Red assassin bug nymphs: do they, or do they not, eat fruit?

Swiss_Chard_Fanatic

7 years ago

last modified: 7 years ago

I have read conflicting things about nymph leaf-footed assassin bugs. I have read the following:

1. They only eat bugs, not plants.

2. The babies eat fruit, but they adults only eat bugs.

3. They only eat fruit.

So what's correct? Here's what I've got on my raspberries:

They are babies right now I believe, and they mostly congregate on the berries themselves. A week or so later, the berries are all dried and shriveled up. Are the babies eating my raspberries?

I need to know because if they will grow up to only eat other bugs, and they won't kill off my raspberry plant or do much damage to it as babies, then I'll let them live and employ them as my organic pest control method.
But if they only eat fruit then I need to find an organic way to get rid of them. I've been using a 5% neem oil spray but they don't even seem to notice.

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Comments (3)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
7 years ago
There is a big difference between an assassin bug and a leaf footed bug although the nymphs can look quite similar. I'd do some online research to determine what you are dealing with - there are various sites that compare the two for ID purposes. Assassin bugs are beneficial predators - leaf footed bugs, including the nymphs, are bad news for plants. Both the nymphs and adults are pests that damage buds, flowers, fruits
and seeds. Leaf footed bugs feed on many plants, including tomatoes,
peaches, blueberries, beans, okra, and pecans. When these bugs feed on
tomato fruit, they cause yellow, hardened spots to develop. Feeding on
other fruits can cause brown spots or shriveled, misshapen fruits.

Based on that, I'd guess you probably have the leaf footed bugs. Even the nymphs of assassin bugs are voracious predators.
Swiss_Chard_Fanatic
Original Author
7 years ago
gardengal, you are right. Since I made that post I've been comparing them and I definitely do have the leaf footed nymph bugs. From what I've read, they have very few natural predators because they are not soft like a caterpillar, and it takes an insecticidal soap to kill them, or vacuuming them with a hand vac, or squishing them one by one, and treatment is daily until they are all gone.
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pooroldirtfarmer
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I fill a pitcher with water and a couple tablespoons of dawn dish soap, put the pitcher under the leaves where the stinkbugs are, then knock them in. They drown in about 20 seconds in the soapy water. I'm sure this seems cumbersome, but if you start early in the year before they lay eggs, it can make a huge difference.

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