Does anybody know what these strange white egg rows are?
They are only on the stems of my Bell Peppers. I squish them as soon as I see them. I hope they're not beneficial insect eggs like Lady Bugs or something.
It's VERY HOT (90's-lower 100's), here in Las Vegas, NV, and getting even HOTTER starting tomorrow.
Anybody?
Thanks....
Cannot see any identifiable detail in your image, but if these objects are elongate and appear to have a fuzzy surface, they could be cocoons of a beneficial parasitic wasp rather than eggs - see http://6legs2many.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/braconidae_microgastrinae_cotesia_parasitoid_wasp_cocoons.jpg
Thanks for replying Flapdoddle,
However, the photo in the link you provided, (thanks), doesn't look like my cocoons/eggs.
Sorry the image isn't better, I'll send one with a different setting, I think. It looks a little sharper
to me.
The cocoons on my Bell Pepper's stem WERE fuzzy, I haven't seen any yesterday or today, yet.
Mine are in almost neat "rows", not in a net bag like thing. These cocoons follow the creases in
the stem.
Since I killed them, I sure hope they're not a beneficial wasp. Darn!!! Just don't know what to do
if I see them again.
Thanks
They're in 3 & 5 gallon pots now...
Their appearance is more important than their orientation or color (usually some shade of off-white or yellow). If they appear fuzzy rather than smooth, they are more likely to be cocoons than eggs. See http://pikul.lib.ku.ac.th/insect/007-013%20INSECTS%20of%20Thailand/009%20Systematics/32HYMENOPTERA/z%20all%20Hymenoptera/Apanteles%20PPP.jpg
and
http://pikul.lib.ku.ac.th/insect/001-006%20UPDATE%20insects/005%20Taxonomy%20of%20Insects/32HYMENOPTERA/Braconidae/Apanteles%20longan%20worm%20PP.jpg for a couple more examples.
If you see any more, carefully remove the bit of the plant with the objects on it, and place where you can see what emerges.
Thanks again, Flapdoodle, for replying and the links. You sure know your insects and where to look for ID. Pretty smart guy (?)
Yes, 'My' objects are fuzzy and whitish, but more round than elongated.
DANG!! I wish I had read your reply yesterday!!! I found some more fuzzy guys on a rose stem while 'dead-heading', so I was able to cut off the piece of stem and bring it in the house to get out of the 106 degree heat. Took some more awful pictures with my cell phone. Kept the stem for a few days and just threw it away yesterday!!
Never thought about keeping it to see what hatches....Good idea!! Kinda scary. IF I ever see any more, could I put it in a jar with holes in the top?
Of course I'm not going to sacrifice a Pepper plant by cutting off the stem, and they're always on a stem...
The objects on the rose stems appear to be different from those on the pepper, but the images are not clear enough for a proper i.d. - could either be eggs, or possibly scale insects of some kind...
