Good bug or bad bug? Or is it even a bug?...I have been finding small irregular round shaped things in my garden lately. They vary in size from very small to the size of a pencil eraser (the biggest I've seen) - most of them just a bit smaller than a pencil eraser. They are located by the plant roots, not too deep into the soil. Sometimes they are scattered and at times are somewhat close to each other .I also found a few in the roots of clematis that I bought from Lowes a few days ago...They are never on the surface - always a few inches into the soil. They seem to have some clear liquid inside which comes out if you pop them. The outer "skin" is not thin - I could not pop it with my fingers - had to use one of my garden tools.
I could not take them all out from my flowerbeds - too many of them...But I don't know what they are and if they are eggs or other form of some kind of bug (??). Is that a good bug or a bad bug? Has anyone had these in their garden? Or maybe someone knows what these things are? I would really appreciate an advice or some information on these things. I was not able to research them online....I am hoping this is not some parasite - as I am not looking forward to those things hatching into something that will eat all my flowers... I just won a fight against spotted cucumber beetles which attacked most of my flowers - and I need a bit if a break :) .
Thank you very much!
Elena.
Good or bad? Small gray balls in my soil & plant roots (??)
Sounds like some kind of time release fertilize that you are describing. Are these plants that you've bought in pots and then planted in the ground?
I've found those also...just in the last week. Are they sort of like a clear eyeball inside of a pinkish skin. I found one that was about the size of an eyeball and one that was much bigger. I was afraid it was a snake egg...(tho I've never really seen one). I tried to take a photo, but couldn't get it in focus well enough. I found them under established plants, not new ones. Your'e braver than me...I wouldn't pop 'em. Sandi
Not sure if that's fertlizer as I have never seen one like that. Unless it was something commercial - but why would it have some clear liquid inside? I bought clematis in a 2 inch pot and when I took it out to plant outside I examined the roots and here they were...I tooked them out of the soil and popped them all :), just to make sure nothing hatches if these are eggs indeed. Wouldn't it be funny if it really is a fertlizer? he-hee.. But I doubt it - sure doesn't look like one....There are some yellowish balls in the potted plants that I buy sometimes - and that's a part of the soil or some added conditioner or fertlizer. These gray things definitely do look like organic matter...
I have recently destroyed :) an ant mount - wasn't fire ants, but the the smaller ones. I found them living under one of my oak trees. And I kept digging and spraying with a Bayer Insect Killer...And at some point I came across lots of these gray things again, and right under the surface I found some ant larvae, looked much bigger than the rest of the ants - maybe those were queens (??) - don't know, but they were looking like a "sleeping ant" and all white - no color. And a ton of those gray balls all over the place. Maybe just coincidence...But how can ants be related with those? Don't have a clue..They do seem like some eggs. I am just hoping I will never find out who that was :).
bigbuddles, I definitely hope the ones you found are not snake eggs - hopefully they won't hatch or anything....This is "amazing" what you can find sometimes in your garden...
If something hatches out of my gray things- I'll post a picture :).
Thanks both of you for response!