He is a Leaffooted Bug, Leptoglossus phyllopus, specifically a Pine Seed Bug from the family of Leptoglossus that has 100's of members.

Do you have a lot of Pine trees? Is he doing any damage to them that you can see? He sucks nutrients from the pine seeds but isn't interested in your garden. Do you have a lot of these guys? If not, why worry about him?

Dave

Eastern leaf footed bug. The white bar is the "Eastern" giveaway, the pads on the back feet are the "leaves". Also known as "stink bugs". These guys suck on tomatoes, leaving them with a thick, bruised, mottled skin. Sucked-on tomatoes are edible, but not that nice. No good options for insecticides that I'm aware of, especially for the adults. Pick them off, or vacuum them off.

Weird. They love to eat my tomato leaves. Worse year ever. Two years without many frosts or freezes. I read about a spray for them using coffee, vegetable oil and dish detergent. Haven't tried it yet. Shoulder is still so sore from surgery. I hate being so inactive.

No, they don't eat leaves, I believe. Leaf footed bugs suck on the fruit. You may find them on your leaves, but I'm guessing when you find them there they're just digesting their meal. What evidence do you have that they are eating leaves?

They pretty much destroyed my peaches and dimpled up my Asian pears so badly they weren't worth eating. Bad on tomatoes too as mentioned.

Eastern leaf Footed Bug

Note the different coloring, especially on the shield, and much more rounded posterior segment than the one in the photo above.

Stink Bug

Dave

http://biology.duke.edu/dukeinsects/Leptoglossus_phyllopus.php

The have many disguises, I guess.

I have no evidence other than I have no other bugs visible on my plants.

I'm just now getting some bells on one plant and have lots of banana peppers about ready to be picked. I haven't noticed any damage, but they just showed up this past week or so.

I have had the worst luck with bugs this year. I ripped out my zukes Wednesday because of the SVB damage. Today I ripped out my cukes because of the mealy bugs and God knows what else. My cukes produced good earlier this year, but I didn't get one zuke! I had really good luck with my bells last year and want to continue that lucky streak!

The picture is the under side of a cuke leaf.

It is full of aphids. Fold the leaves that were infested and rub them hard to kill all of the aphids before discarding them on the compost pile.

I did one better and threw them in the garbage. Pulled the whole plant up and tossed it! I was afraid to put them in my compost for fear that the bugs would end up on my plants again.

Well, those white things aren't mealybugs. (Oops!)
They're mealybug destroyers which also destroy aphids. Much larger, more shaggy, and faster moving than are mealybugs.

Next time, ID first, then destroy only if needed.

This post was edited by jean001a on Sun, Sep 1, 13 at 1:52

Yep, rather than just treating for the aphids - which is easy to do with just plain water - you sacrificed the ones controlling them, the good guys. I thought we had posted about the mealys being good guys. maybe that was someone else's post.

I have had the worst luck with bugs this year. I ripped out my zukes Wednesday because of the SVB damage.

Sounds like you have let one bad guy (SVB) force you into an all bugs are bad bugs mode. Just like so many seem to insist that all leaf foots are bad guys.

Lots of good info available online about bugs. It pays to do some research.

Dave

Here is a link about the mealybug destroyer.

Here is a link that might be useful: Natural enemies

I'm definitely happy to have good helpful bugs in my garden. There was so many more aphids than mealybug destroyers. My cukes weren't producing anymore so they had to go to make space for a fall crop. Not sure if it was from the bugs specifically or just reached its peak and going downhill. I am planting lettuce in its place for the fall. In fact, the bugs (good and bad) and the birds typically enjoy my garden more than I do! LOL

But, yes those darn SVB's really made me crazy this year!

Do you think the SVB larvae was in the soil already? Because I literally lost an entire squash plant before it even got to grow. That is my thoughts.

I guess the leaffooted bugs were just hanging out. I had the worst bug year ever here since we moved here in 2006.I thought it was the stink bugs eating holes in my tomatoes. I don't spray anything so what ever survives is just the way it goes. My Lady Belle peppers are producing like mad even though they have tons of bug holes in their leaves.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Assassin bugs are NOT leaf footed bugs. They have the same shield-like body, but I don't think they have flaps on their legs as do Leaf Footed bugs.. Assassin bugs are of the family Redoviidae, and Leaf Footed bugs are of the family Coreidae. As noted, the former eat insects, and the latter eat plants.

Given this, it might seem somewhat odd that the distinguishing feature is the mouthpiece, which for Assassin Bugs is shorter than for Leaf Footed bugs. I THINK that's because not all Coreidae have flaps on their legs. But if your bug has flaps on its legs, destroy it!

Stink bugs and aphids are not going to show mercy to your plants like some guys are showing to them in this thread. Tolerate them and you will definitely get the smallest and fewest yield from your plants at best. Trust your experience and not some nonsense like 90% bugs in the garden are beneficial insect which is total bullpoop. The longer you garden the better you know what they are capable of if left uncontrolled.

Here's info from Univ CA re beneficial insects

The gallery has images & brief text
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/NE/

Here is a link that might be useful: gallery of beneficial insects

Yes, leaffooted bugs -- ugh. I have them, too, for the first time ever. They arrived just since it got really hot here near Los Angeles and are making hash of my few remaining tomatoes. I have one pine tree -- could that be the culprit? The tree has been in for 6 years, but I've never had these bugs before. Any preventive measures?

I had a "herd" of Assassin bugs the first year I gardened. (Although I say "herd," note that they are solitary creatures, traveling alone, and putting space between themselves..Very territorial creatures...)

They were living in the border of milkweed around the perimeter of the yard, where I had all my tomato plants growing in eBuckets. I kept wondering why there were no bugs on any of the tomato plants. Then, I realized there was not so much as a bug even crawling on the buckets! Before I knew milkweed was their dinner of choice, I had cut it all back, and my "herd" dispersed itself - aaarrrgggghhh!

Just now getting it to grow again, and have seen a couple Assassins patrolling the yard again. I'll take these predators any day of the week.

There's exactly ONE Assassin Bug in my 4x8' bed of eggplants, and I haven't seen a bug yet on any plant (except for the flea beetles that have riddled the leaves with pinholes - no damage to any fruits)

And, while the Assassins will not back down from ANYthing (even bees), they have not had to attack any of my other bennies (beneficial insects).

And, my lizards are returning -- a very good sign!

Linda