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mjfulgham Madison, MS Jun 11, 2007

These things are everywhere in my backyard - any ideas on what it is and if it's a bad bug or not? Thanks so much!

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kennedyh Churchill, Victoria, Australia(Zone 10a) Jun 11, 2007

mjfulgham,
It is definitely a true bug, but it is a sub-adult and they can be very hard to identify even to the family. It is almost certainly a plant feeder, so is probably a bad bug.
If there are a lot of them, try and locate a full adult, looking very approximately like this: http://bugguide.net/node/view/61481/bgpage
ie having half transparent wings folded across its back.
A picture of an adult gives a much better chance of identification,

Kennedy

Post #3603521
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mjfulgham Madison, MS Jun 11, 2007

It's real strange, because they are on the patio, wooden fence, above ground pool, tree trunks - really anywhere!

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mjfulgham Madison, MS Jun 14, 2007

I found the info on this bug - I emailed an entomologist here in my state and this is the info he sent back...
"These are nymphs of the Largus Bug, Largus succinctus. They are also sometimes referred to as 'bordered plant bugs' because of the orange margin that the adults have around the outside of their back. They are common in MS, especially in areas with lots of pine trees. They feed on various weeds, but I have never seen them damage any ornamental or food plants. I am not sure why they are associated with pines; they do not seem to damage them."

Blake Layton, Ph.D.
Extension Entomology Specialist

Post #3615884
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kennedyh Churchill, Victoria, Australia(Zone 10a) Jun 15, 2007

mjfulgham,
That is good information, could you please add your image to the BugFiles page for Largus succinctus here: http://davesgarden.com/bf/go/21/

Kennedy

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mjfulgham Madison, MS Jun 15, 2007

Done - I sent in 3 photos and added my info!

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