CLOSED: Scarlet Plant bug, Lopedia

Can anyone tell me if these do damage? I had them crawling all over the new growth on my Mt Laurels last week. Before I killed off beneficials, I posted on the TX. forum and someone found them. Another person found that they suck leaves of new growth. Trying to be organic, I vacuumed them off the edges....100s of them. I reported it to the Master Gardener desk last week, and this morning got a call back that they are not pests. All the new growth on my Laurels is gone........I've Googled them and not found any info other than pics of them.....

Hi bigbubbles-
Spell check: Lopidea. There are 51 species in N. America according to this site, probably having different preferences for trees and plants... do a search for something like 'lopidea Texas' or 'Texas pest Lopidea', I was getting hits that way... I also found some misspelled. Let us know what you find out
Mike



http://bugguide.net/node/view/13882

Here someone in San Antonio mentions them on their Laurels too... and Passiflora and Bougainvillea..


http://bugguide.net/node/view/17445/bgimage

This message was edited Apr 12, 2007 3:13 PM

I'm sorry...I left off the name! It is Lopedia,.... Scarlet Plant Bug. I'll go check out the sites you sent. Really appreciate you taking the time to research.
Sandi

You found them! That's the site I went to last week, but I couldn't open the posts to it. Thanks so much!

This was posted on the TX forum in answer to my inquiry. Frostweed found this on a Canadian Pest ID website. The photos didn't copy, but they are identical.....
Question:
#126 These two photos were taken in Timmins, Ont. on a residential hedge.
The hedge seemed to be infested with these at various stages of maturity. They seem to feed on the leaves using a feeding tube. They also feed on each other. At first I thought they might be Box Elders but because the species of hedge is unknown to me I cannot be sure. Can anyone help? Thanks. D. Morin
Answer:
This is one of the true bugs belonging to a group known as plant bugs (Hemiptera: Miridae). This is a Lopidea sp. in the subfamily Orthotylinae, possibly the commonly named Scarlet Plant Bug, but I am not absolutely certain of the exact species. They are considered pests because they pierce the plant to suck its sap, as you observed. Here are some more photos and info - http://cedarcreek.umn.edu/insects/album/020023110ap.html J.D. Roberts, entomologist

So.... I guess I'll vacuum up any straglers that are still feeding on my plants! Thanks again. I'm always amazed at how helpful everyone is on this website! Sandi

You're welcome! I think you should set that Master Gardener straight. Maybe he or she confused them with Boxelder bugs too, which are mostly just a nuisance. They look pretty similar. All the Plant Bugs eat some plant or tree or what have you, but some aren't really considered pests, I guess, because the plant species they eat aren't used in gardens or agriculture, or aren't destroyed in a wholesale way, unlike some of the exotic introduced pests that ruin our Ash and Hemlock trees.

Well....I'm a Master Gardener..... The person who nixed it as being a bad bug was the County Extension Agent over us all. I had thought I should at least let the MG desk know about the bugs in case people called about them. What's that old saying..."No good deed goes unpunished!" I'll just keep my bugs to myself from now on!

Oooh, sorry, I was confused... I still think you should see why he says it's not a pest... obviously something did a number on your Laurel. ?
My Dad always says that 'no good deed goes unpunished', saying...luckily it's more funny than true!