CLOSED: Should I worry?

Anyone know who might have left these eggs. I have 2 of these eggs patches on the, I use the term loosely, lawn. Each patch is about the size of a salad plate.

Here's a close up. The patches of eggs are side by side.

oh heavens, I sure hope it's a good thing.

It was not me! :)

Me too tiG!! I think they may have hatched already...that was very quick, hardly worth what looks like a lot of exacting work!
LOL 'Chele!!

I have seen this picture before. (well, one like it) maybe post it in garden foes?? it needs more people looking at it.

Here'a a picture from yesterday...after hours of rain. Dead, dying or hatched??

where is Bug_girl??? I have no idea, but can't wait to find out what they are!!
don't bring any Saturday ;)

Awww...I have plenty to share!

okay, I'll swap you aphids!!

where is everyone that would know what these are?????

Oh Im sorry, I forgot to tell you...mine are a package deal...they come WITH aphids! Special 2 for 1

oh my goodness!! what a great camera! I wrote Bug_girl, hoping she will stop in.

Hi, I am not really a bug expert, in fact the name bug girl means "one you bugs you" or annoys you. However, they could be like a fungal diesase, but I am not sure. They don't look like eggs of any kind I have ever seen. Maybe you should ask Bug Guy?

Or you could ask the country extension service

Looks like a job for RoundUp. Or shovel-pruning. :)

Here are some replies from some guys who are experts, I have cut and pasted the answers:

Here are a couple of responses from folks who should know. I tend to believe that this is a mold or fungus rather than an insect.
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John: if you say it is not insect related, it might be the early stages of one of the slime molds. Normally, these molds develop a brown, grey or black spore mass of matrix. I have never seen one that looks like this...but the overall morphology is similar to one of the slim molds that sometimes develops on St Augustinegrass (but it is usually grey-to-black in color).
If it is a slime mold, it is growing superficially on the surface of plant tissue and can normally be readily dispersed by a garden hose. Tends to be a nuisance but it is not a plant pathogen.

Larry B

****
John,
They could be mantispid eggs -- which generally have short, upright stalks, and are laid in large numbers like that. But, I don't recall mantispid eggs being so bright white. They almost look like slime-mold fruiting bodies, but I don't see any plasmodium from which they might be growing. If they were collected, it shouldn't be too hard to get them to at least order from the first instar larvae (if they are insect eggs).
John O.
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I hope that this helps.

I lean towards the insect eggs theory myself. Looks like little parasitic wasp eggs you sometimes can find on caterpillars. It's wierd that they would turn black like that. Are you sure it wasn't aphid eggs?

I finally did collect a 'branch' of these eggs. I put them in a jar and they turned balck as well with no sign of any critter. I do have a picture of a caterpillar eating it's way along a section of them (for another thread) I'm going to go look for mantispid eggs. Thanks for all the input
Edited to add this link that shows the caterpillar eating the eggs
http://davesgarden.com/fp.php?pid=502100

This message was edited Tuesday, Apr 1st 3:55 PM

I don't know but what lens are you using...great photos!

Thanks DP6, Most all my work is done in macro. I'm fascinated by the tiny creatures in the garden and the make up of the flowers when you get really close. This is a zinnia, I love the flowers within the flower

I am just learning about macro lenses...do they come in different magnifications like normal lenses>

Dale - go by the wildlife forum. Stacey has some amazing stuff up there. :)

DP6, I just use macro mode on my digital camera and "zoom" to focus as I want. I used to use different macro lenses when I used SLR but thats been a long time ago. Digital is to easy and instantaneous for me to ever go back to film.
Thanks GW!