Hi crayphish, I'm always a bit concerned when people talk about spraying with soap or botanical sprays like garlic or capsicum 'just in case'. The thing is, insecticidal soap and most botanical sprays don't distinguish between pests and the 'good' insects that control them. Even more unfortunately, in a lot of cases the 'good' insects are MORE susceptible to pesticides than the pests. I know there are some parasitic wasps (tiny wasps that lay their eggs in other insects, often the ones we consider pests, like aphids, whiteflies etc) - Aphidius and Encarsia species spring to mind - that are affected by insecticidal soap. The soap spray won't affect the leafminers, that's for sure, unless it has some extra property because of the mintiness, because the adult leafminer flies are long gone and the leafminer larvae are snug in their little burrow. I wonder if the leafminers even requires any action. It looks like a Liriomyza species, probably L. trifolii, which is considered a pest in commercial flower and celery crops, but fruiting crops like beans, tomatoes, cukes etc are rarely bothered. If you leave well enough alone the native parasitic wasps, Diglyphus species and the like, will probably come along and provide reasonable control for you. A bit of leaf damage won't hurt your plants and unless it's severe, it shouldn't affect yields either. Tracey

Those are parasitized aphids. They're quite dead and They're bloating because they have the larvae of a parasite growing in them. It means the good guys are doing their job. *For nerds only beyond this point* If you want some good fun, clip off that bit of tree and put it into a small glass jar (like a nail polish remover jar or something). Plug the opening with cotton so that air can get in and out. Check it every morning. Not too long from now you'll find that the aphid 'mummies' have holes in their backs and there will be little black bugs buzzing around inside the jar -- those are the parasites. Some folks call them braconid flies, but they are actually wasps. Originally, they were grouped in with all wasps in the family Braconidae. Recently a good percentage of taxonomists have chosen to move them out of family Braconidae: sub-family Aphidiinae and into their own family - Aphidiidae.

Extremely cute. Infact this little guy has inspired me to learn more about insects. I spent about 4 hours last night on this forum reading and looking at pictures. I never thought I would take such an interest in these creatures. They are amazing. Thank you for your help in IDing him.

I agree. The first pic definitely looks like ants. Try cleaning plant off, both sides of leaves with sticky tape or giving the stems and leaves a good shake. Once clear of bugs, spray with a solution of neem oil and water. Neem is a lifesaver in the garden! Have used it successfully to eliminate leaf hoppers on cucumber plant and peppers and used on Rose of Sharon branches. Here are some pictures of my once sickly cucumber plant. Today it's healthy and thriving thanks to the help and insight of fellow posters and some neem oil ;-). Hope this helps. Good luck Kitasei2! Let us know how it goes.