I'ts been so hot here, that I haven't gone out to the garden for several days. Last evening, I finally took a walk around the garden and noticed my Candida Dbl White was being decipated by something. I cut off several of the infected areas and found the culprits, but I don't have any idea what they are. They are black bugs that when squashed turn green and mushy. They seem to be in clusters. I am going to have to cut back this Brug severly to get rid of all the bad foilage and then spray like the devil.
Here is a picture of the leaf with some of the ugly bugs. Does anyone know what they could be?
Donna
Another bug that loves Brugs
I continued my walk around the garden and noticed that my Iochroma was getting leaner also. I noticed a lot of black spots on the ground and then when I looked up, there he was staring me right in the eye. Yuck! A hugh hormworm. I haven't seen one of these ugly guys in a long time, and never expected to see it on this type of plant.
Gosh normally I think those are so pretty, but it sitting there in all that poop, does leave something to be desired. Just think, there are a few of your leaves all digested in that plastic cup.
Kin the reason your Maya was eaten and not the Double White is because the cats normally do not travel from plant to plant. Especially true for larger brugs where they have all the food source they need for their entire cat life.
From my own observations this is true for every moth cat I've ever seen on my brugs. They stay put on the plant they are born on. This doesn't mean that one brug is more susceptible to cats than another. It just means the uneaten plant didn't have eggs laid on it.
This message was edited Jul 28, 2006 2:42 PM
Kin,
Yes, I thought it was poop from the cats too, until I saw them moving..lol
Oh too gross, so the poop is alive? I missed that entirely. There is a bug that disguises itself in poop or it is a poop bug? Or your caterpillar has worms maybe? OK, I am confused. LOL
Oh Kin, every year my Maya gets eaten alive by cats. They can spot it no matter where I have it in the garden. And they are fast! Here is one I had out in the front a couple of years ago and overnight they gobbled it to nothing. The only other brug that comes to mind that they would eat every year without fail is Golden Lady. But no doubt, Maya is their absolute favorite. In fact it is the only bug that bothers Maya here. It never gets mites.
This message was edited Jul 28, 2006 12:26 PM
Oh Gosh Kell, that is what my Peaches n Cream looks like. I had a bad outbreak of cats in the Spring and then just last week it started all over again. I have sprayed all the brugs. but I still found a few today.
Gee SoCal, it almost looks like a tick to me.
Patricia, did you get your P & C around here? I never know what to call mine. P & C or Maya. I bought mine as P & C too. Whatever it is, cats sure love its foliage. Funny too as they do not bother my Snowbanks at all. Knock on wood.
Kell, are you sure that is a Maya??? It looks like the cat only likes the white part of the leaves. Most tender?? Just kidding. That is really awful.
And Donna, you sure do get some strange bugs. I have aphids and earwigs so far. Do you know if the earwigs eat holes in the leaves?
Jeanette
Is Maya the same as Peaches & Cream? I thought they were different..... SoCal - what you have there is the much dreaded Southern California Poophead Dung Bug, known to attack Brugmansia, at will. Seriously, I would cry (and swear), while appling Safer's or Bayer's insecticidle(sp?) soap and follow-up with peroxide/water/dishsoap concoction.... and more Safer's (following instructions on proper intervals of Safer's - every 2-3 wks, I think.... That's one UGLY bug.
SoCal, I just discovered this very same bug on my brugs and posted about them too. No one really knew what it was, but the best guess I came up with was a lily leaf beetle. This picture (you have to scroll a little) looked a lot like the bugs on mine. http://www.odonalsnurseries.com/education/pests_diseases/good_bad_ugly.asp. They are seriously gross bugs and pile their excrement on their backs. I didn't even realize they were a bug at first! If you find out something different, please let me know. I've already tried BT, thinking they were in the caterpillar family, but it did nothing. I'll try Aunt B's suggestion too.
Aunt B, are they really called the Southern California Poophead Dung Bug, or am I just being gullible? lol
Ok, it doesn't look like my link works. Here's the cut and paste version:
The Lily Leaf Beetle adult is a striking insect with a bright scarlet body and black legs, head, antennae, and undersurface. The adults are 1/4 to 3/8 inch long. Adults and older larvae feed on leaves, stems, buds, and flowers of the host plant.
Adults lay their eggs on the underside of leaves in an irregular line. The reddish/orange eggs take from 7-10 days to hatch under normal conditions. Females lay up to 450 eggs, sometimes over two growing seasons. Larvae resemble slugs with swollen orange, brown, yellowish or even greenish bodies and black heads.
Larvae tend to cause more damage than adults. Larvae are distinctive and repulsive in that they secrete and carry their excrement on their backs. Younger larvae feed for 16-24 days, primarily on the underside of leaves. Larvae enter the soil to pupate; pupae are florescent orange.
New adults emerge in 16-22 days and feed until fall. They do not mate or lay eggs until they emerge the following spring in late March through June. Lily Leaf Beetles overwinter in the soil or plant debris in the garden or woods, sometimes a distance away from the host plants. Adults prefer environments that are shaded, protected, cool, and moist.
Treatment
We recommend and carry neem (Bioneem®), an insecticide based upon extracts from the neem tree, and imidacloprid. Neem kills and repels larvae, and to be most effective it must be applied every five to seven days after egg hatch. The insecticide imidacloprid provides very effective control and is applied either once a month or once a year, depending on the formulation purchased: Bayer® Rose & Flower Insect Killer, and Bayer® Tree & Shrub Insect Killer. We prefer using systemics since they effect only target insects after application, and because they are applied less frequently.
Yes!!! That looks exactly like my bugs, only I couldn't see the red body under all that poop. lol I guess I better get some of that stuff and start spraying soon. I hadn't started yet, as I wanted to find out what it was before wasting expensive products and not have it work.
Thank you so much for your information. I'm going to do some more research on this guy, before he takes over my garden.
I hope you get yours under control soon too,
Thanks,
Donna
Sorry cnswift, I was being silly. I hope I never see that homely thing in KS. Lily Leaf Beetle is still too cute a name for such an ulgy/nasty bug. Maybe SoCal PoopBACKED dung bug. Hope you can "curb" its appetite quickly with minimal damage.. -Bonnie
Mine actually didn't have a red body but it was dark with lighter brown stripes. I did however see red things in the soil, so even if it's not exactly correct it's probably in the same family. The thread I started was more of a generic one regarding different bug sprays, but I did post a picture of the ugly critters if you wanted to compare: http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/629921/. Just scroll down a little. Ironically, I haven't seen too many of them anymore. They must have eaten their fill or the BT had a delayed effect. Good luck with yours too!
Aunt B, that's pretty funny!
