What is this?!

Burleson, TX(Zone 8a)

I have this pest every year on several things. Usually it's on the lantana, but this year they are on zinnias, goldenrod, yarrow, marigolds, gazanias, almost everything! The plants they are on start loosing color in their leaves, turning yellow. I thought it was just the heat or lack of rain. :(

I thought they were just some sort of mealy bug, because just looking at them with my eye (and bad contacts) they look like fuzzy bugs. Well, with new contacts and a magnifying lens I found that they are not mealy bugs. They are actually a very tiny insect with 6 legs and 2 wings. They are very tiny, have a little hump sort of thing on their back (before the wings) and have brown horizontal stripes.

The insecticidal soap kills them, but they multiply fast. If I can identify them I might know what to use to permanently get rid of them. I found a Lantana lacebug that looks similar. I will try and get a better pic later.

Thumbnail by konkreteblond
Burleson, TX(Zone 8a)

another pic

Thumbnail by konkreteblond
Burleson, TX(Zone 8a)

Well, according to the Texas Bug Book that I just got from the library, they are lace bugs. It says that the Garden-Ville Anti-Fuego (citrus oil) will kill them. I was glad to read that because I did try that on them, along with the insecticidal soap. I'll give the citrus stuff a few more tries. Hopefully it won't be necessary tho.

Griffin, GA(Zone 8a)

Yup - those are lace bugs (family Tingidae). A systemic such as imidicloprid should work on these plant-sucking bugs, but shouldn't hurt good bugs and as far as I know, it doesn't kill caterpillars either.

N. Mississippi, MS(Zone 8a)

get ya some lady bugs off ebay and release em around those plants. They will eat em up with no chemicals.

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