Hi. I believe this is an ant, but I can't tell. I'm trying to find out what type of insect this is and if it's dangerous to homes.
I found a group of about a dozen of these guys just hanging out on a plant leaf. They weren't moving or anything. It looked like they were having a meeting.
Here is a picture:
http://www.foosmovie.com/images/ant.jpg
They are 1/2 mm long. Their antenna are slightly longer than there legs.
These are nymphs of a bug - either assassin bug or leaf-footed bug. Hard to tell in the photo. It looks like they may have just hatched. They aren't dangerous to homes.
Assassin bugs feed on other insects, leaf-footed bugs feed on plants. Can you detect any widening in their back legs? That indicates leaf-footed bugs.
If they stay together in a group, I would lean towards the leaf-footed bugs. Assassins spread out in search of insects.
And what are they eating? If their mouth part (like a syringe) is stuck into the plant - bad guy.
So - You have a good guy or a bad guy, and sometimes it takes a little time to tell....
http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:HgCNaxUVjX8KAM:http://www.notyourdomain.com/edu/bio8/images/hemip4a.jpg
Thanks cee.
I googled assasin bug and found a couple of pictures that look exactly like the bug I have.
Assassin is an appropriate name. I've had 8 of them in a sealed shot glass for 2 days and they've turned on each other. Two are dead the others are fighting.
I'd let them out to do their job.....
But - Is there any way that you can provide a larger photo? I could tell by the head structure....
