Orange/black shield shaped bug eating my brussel's sprouts?!

What is this swarming on my brussels sprouts plants? It's shaped like those green squash bugs ~ wide shoulders that taper to a rounded hind end. It's about 3/8 inch long, orange being the basic color with black spots on each side and a black triangle in the middle below the shoulders. Underneath is basically black with lots of white and orange making a rather intricate and balanced pattern of triangles, ovals and dots. It's not really a beetle, I don't think, but does have wings and a shiny shell covering them. It has six legs and the antennae aren't but maybe 1/8 inch long.

Any ideas? Times like this I wish I had a camera that took close-ups!

(I also posted this on "Garden Talk," so if you remember seeing it somewhere else, no, you're not losing it! LOL!)


(Ummm, I mean "Identification"! I guess I'm losing it! *grin!*)

This message was edited Friday, Apr 5th 1:28 PM

Could this be it - The Harlequin bug

http://everest.ento.vt.edu/~idlab/vegpests/vegi/harlequinbug.jpeg

That's it!! Thanks, Louisa!! Man, that was fast! Now off to find out how to get rid of them...

Try and get to the home page of the site I gave you and they will provide the answer! Good luck!!

Got it, Louisa! Ugh ~ it says hand-pick them and smash the eggs. ECK! Oh, well, I'll just get out my bucket of beer and away I go. I'm well-practiced in hand-picking unfortunately. LOL!

Thanks again so very much!

If they're just eating your Brussels sprouts, Wing, why not let them be. Maybe they'll leave your real veggies alone.
;-)

Brook how could you!! :-) I just love this vegetable, when it's cooked properly!!! Wingnut I wish you luck!! Yuk is right!! I have to do that with the Japanese beetles on the roses!!

I guess, Brook, you no likey dem sprouts? LOL!

Louisa: Ain't no properly, far as I'm concerned. I've tried them a dozen ways from Sunday, and can't handle 'em. Funny thing, though, I'll eat anything else in the cabbage family and relish it.

Wingnut: You got it, hon. Given my druthers I'd druther eat grass.

Pretty bug Wingnut.

Can't stand sprouts either Brook. A chef on TV here reckons they have a better flavour when you stir fry them, I haven't tried it myself.

I'm trying a red heirloom variety this year.I'm anxious to see if the taste is any different.

Oooh, a red variety? I'll bet they're pretty, Melody!

Yeah, Baa, they are kind of pretty, all red/orange and sitting on the green sprouts leaves. But they're prettier floating belly up in the beer. ;-)

I love brussel's sprouts when they're little. Any bigger than about the end of your thumb and they are rather bitter. Don't like 'em that way. But steam them little ones, slather 'em in butter and YUM!

Especially served with crispy roast potatoes, roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, carrots and delicious gravy!! Ooh I can't stand it!! They are so delicious!!

I love brussel sprouts too, even my 13 year old son likes them. We simmer them, then put butter, pepper and a little vinegar on them, much the same way we eat spinach. Yummy!

I am getting so hungry!! I would love someone to cook for me tonight!!! Joan it is so unusual for a child to love them - it must be the delicious way you prepare them :-) They are particularly good after the first frost (in England anyway).

Sounds like it could be the dreaded BoxElder bug to me. We have them here now for the past 3 years. they are EVERYWHERE> Mainly hanging on the houses....or IN the house. It is very embarrassing. tehy are always there. you can not get rid of them.

Mimi, I looked up pics of Box Elder bugs and they sure resemble what I have, but it's definitely the Harlequin bugs in my garden. I'd hate to have those Box Elder bugs in my house like you describe! ICK!! It sounds like the way we have crickets down here some years. One year, they were so thick, they covered 50% of the surface of the Lake Marble Falls bridge! YUK!

Oh, Joan, I'll have to try that way! Sounds yummy. I eat spinach like that if it comes from a can ~ vinegar and boiled eggs. Mmm-mmm!

Yes, Louisa, they ARE much better after a good frost. Seems like they're sweeter that way. I wouldn't even mess with planting them in the spring normally. The plants I have are leftovers from an experiment from last year. I'd heard that cole crops don't like to be in those little 6-packs for longer than about 6 weeks, so I brought some older ones home from the nursery where I worked last year ~ cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and something else I didn't know what it was. Sure 'nuff, they didn't amount to anything. But the sprouts plants are so pretty that I really didn't want to lose them yet.

They freeze so well too. I just make crosses in their bottoms, blanch them quickly, dry them off and put in freezer bags. As good as the day they were picked!!

Wingnut, your's are orange and black...mine are black and orange. more black on them than orange.

Thanks for the tip, Louisa! I'll have to try that. I'm still in the learning-how-to-grow-them stage with every year getting better and better, though I couldn't find any last fall (except those three-or-four month old ones) and didn't get around to starting the seeds on time, so I missed it. I hope to have enough to freeze one day.

Yep, Mimi ~ that IS the big difference. :-)

there is also a BIG difference from the lady bugs we now have too that are everywhere. They are orange with lots of black dots and they smell REALLY BAD when you squish them. They are all over the place too! I think they are bigger and they jsut are a pain! From Asia maybe?