It is a sharpshootet leaf hopper of some kind....maybe the Glassy Wing Sharpshooter. Look that up and see if images compare favorably with yours.

If you can stand it, remove and crush the beetles. They leave a trail for other beetles to visit so you should look in the same places for infestation. You could carry a container with soapy water and place them in that. I've found that the catbirds and other birds eat the beetles I've crushed and left on the ground. The beetles particularly like certain plants. If those plants are grown in afternoon sun, they will attract more beetles than those growing in a shady site in afternoon when beetles are the most active. Roses, azaleas, crape myrtle, Oenothera, Gaura and some Clematis attract them here.

I use a light spray of 'Sevin' every few weeks on the clematis that look eaten. It is safe for vegetables, so I use it on occasion. I buy it in concentrate form at Walmart and mix my own in a small spray bottle. Read the directions for use, as it must only be used when the air is still, because it can be harmful to birds and bees if not used correctly. I do my spraying at dusk when the birds and bees are not around. Also, I am only spraying a few small areas at very close range. I tried everything else and it was fruitless, until I began these small spot treatments as needed. Suzy

After searching to hopefully find a non lethal way to get rid of the Four Lined Plant Bug, to no avail to speak of, I did run across this newspaper advice column in the link below. The second Question and answer contributes to your problem with the four lined plant bug. A little late for this year, but plenty of time to get ready to attack them this fall. As they say prevention is the best medicine. Here is a copy of that question and answer. I hope they don't mind and if the moderators feel it best to delete it, please leave the link. "QI have a huge area that is planted with Russian sage, mums as well as a few other perennials. The problem is that almost all the plants have these tiny brown circles all over the top part of the leaves. I don't know if it's a disease or an insect. Chuck, Fair Oaks Based on what you described, you may have a fungus or you could possibly have what we call four-lined plant bugs. They are easily identified by the four black stripes running down their back. They have a range of hosts, including fruits, vegetables, flowers, herbs and cucurbits. The associated damage consists of spots that look similar to fungal disease spot and can be misidentified as such. With piercing/sucking mouthparts, the four-lined plant bug removes the plant's chlorophyll. A toxin present in their saliva is also secreted during feeding that digests the components responsible for holding the plant cells together. This feeding produces white, dark or translucent spots 1/16 to 1/8 inch in diameter on the plant's leaves, which can merge together (if there is substantial damage) forming large blotches. Entire leaves can turn brown, curl up and eventually fall off. If feeding occurs on new growth, wilting may result. The damage by four-lined plant bugs may be misidentified as fungal disease spots because of their similar appearance. When the damaged portion of the leaf falls out, a shot hole will remain that looks similar to fungal disease. Four-lined plant bugs can be troublesome to get rid of. During the fall, the banana-shaped eggs are laid in the old stems of the plant. The eggs will overwinter and hatch in late April-May just after the plant's foliage emerge. The agility of this bug contributes to the problem because when disturbed, the bug will drop to the ground or will hide and is therefore rarely seen. In order to keep damage to a minimum, begin to check plants in midspring around May-June for damage. Start to use control at the first sign of damage, since just a few bugs can cause severe damage. Insecticidal soaps and summer horticultural oils prove useful as well as acephate or malathion. It is also possible to remove a lot of the old stem in the fall, which will likely remove egg masses. Look for the eggs; they are banana-shaped and highly visible and can be easily disposed of when there are no leaves on the plant. The best way to beat a lot of damage is to be observant early on in the year because once you start to see signs of damage, you have to act quickly. Four-lined plant bugs have only one life cycle per season. The damage will usually stop sometime around the end of June, so spraying later than June for this insect is not usually necessary or effective." Spock Here is a link that might be useful: Ask Dan, The Herald in Orange County, CA