Hi All,
This summer I've seen a new beetle. Every time I spot it, there are two and they are copulating. I don't want colorful baby beetles everywhere but I'd like to know what it is and if it's harmful or not. My plant leaves have holes in them so I'm trying to figure out if the beetles are the stinkers. They run up and down my butterfly bush stems.
Thanks,
Nancy
Here's another photo....
These are not beetles, but are stink bugs (Hemiptera/Heteroptera: Pentatomidae). They do not chew leaves, but suck juices through their beak. These specimens bear at least a superficial resemblance to harlequin bugs (Murgantia histrionica), a serious pest on plants in the mustard family - see http://www.emmitsburg.net/gardens/articles/adams/2007/photos/Murgantia%20histrionica.jpg for an image.
Thank you for the ID Suunto. Any thoughts about how to rid my garden of these frantically multiplying colorful bugs?
~Nancy
See http://www.gardenandhearth.com/OrganicVegetableGarden/Harlequin-Bugs.htm for some advice. I just hand pick and squish...
