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jetset517 Newark, OH Aug 17, 2008

can anyone identify these bugs? Are they harmful or helpful to plants?

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claypa West Pottsgrove, PA(Zone 6b) Aug 17, 2008

Let me guess, is that a milkweed pod? Those are Aphids, a very common pest. There are many, many kinds but milkweeds always seem to have yellow ones, maybe Aphis nerii. Aphid species tend to be plant host-specific, and some plants tolerate aphids better than others. Roses are notorious Aphid victims, unfortunately.

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DonnaB Vancleave, MS(Zone 8b) Aug 17, 2008

you can spray them off with a blast from the water hose

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jetset517 Newark, OH Aug 17, 2008

claypa
actually the pods are from a butterfly bush. They are about 3 inches long and 3/8 to 1/2 inch wide but they certainly do look like milkweed pods in the pic.

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jetset517 Newark, OH Aug 17, 2008

DonnaB,
Thanks I will blast them in the morning.

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claypa West Pottsgrove, PA(Zone 6b) Aug 17, 2008

Do you mean this plant? :

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/73/

Butterfly bush usually refers to Buddleia, which doesn't have pods near that size:

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/adv_search.php?searcher%5Bcommon%5D=&searcher%5Bfamily%5D=&searcher%5Bgenus%5D=buddleia&searcher%5Bspecies%5D=&searcher%5Bcultivar%5D=&searcher%5Bhybridizer%5D=&searcher%5Bgrex%5D=&search_prefs%5Bblank_cultivar%5D=&search_prefs%5Bsort_by%5D=rating&images_prefs=both&Search=Search

The first link is a butterfly "weed", a kind of milkweed or Asclepias

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jetset517 Newark, OH Aug 17, 2008

claypa,
Yep, those are the ones. I have a grouping of the orange and a separate grouping of the purple. Thanks for helping a newbie. I went out today to "blast 'em" and found ants herding them into a group for market. Rather than destroy this enterprising situation I am going to relax and leave the ants to their ranching operation. yeehaw! git along little aphid.

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beautifulchaos Indianapolis, IN(Zone 5b) Aug 17, 2008

I thought that I had recently read that the ants actually 'milk' the aphids, if they're not producing enough for them to feed on...I didn't think that they were a predator of aphids?? I could be mistaken though. I'm pretty new on the bug train.

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