weird bugs...hmm...good or bad???

9 years ago

Hi there...
So I'm growing my first garden ever and I have these weird bugs on my corn and sunflowers. I'm also growing tomatoes and watermelon and they aren't on those plants, just the corn and sunflowers. I'm thinking it has to do with the big stalks of those plants. And they're odd in the fact that when I go to get closer look at them, they hide real fast to the other side of the stalk. In the picture they are the long oval-like black bugs on the stalk.

So does anyone have some info on these bugs, what they are, are they harmful, etc? I've researched but without a name, I'm lost.

I've dusted with diatomaceous earth and that helped some but we get thunderstorms almost every night so it washes away quickly.

Any other suggestions? I'm worried about them tainting my plants somehow...I don't care if they're harmless, but I can't have bugs on my babies if they are bad. I've become very protective of my new growing children. :-)

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Comments (5)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years ago
I'm growing my first garden ever

===>>>

what .. if any damage ... have you seen ??? ... that you can associate with such????

we observe bugs...

we only act on ones that cause problems ... as a newb.. you have to get that solidly in your head .... you can not.. and will not.. eradicate every bug from your garden ....

you have already treated once ... thank goodness now you are going for the ID

looks like a leafhopper to me.. but i am no pro at the ID game ...

try to relax in your garden.. thats my point ...

ken
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
9 years ago
It's very difficult to notice the damage from most piercing-sucking insects, especially if they're concentrated on stems or floral structures like they are on this corn plant.

Those critters look like a froghopper of some kind. They have needlelike mouthparts which they use to pierce plant tissues and then suck the sap out. I doubt very much that your diatomaceous earth applications will be of much help in controlling these insects.

Since I don't know the species, I'm not sure what this froghopper wants. If they're just on the stems, I'd not worry too much about them unless you start seeing them by the hundreds.
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misspeabodi
Original Author
9 years ago
I haven't noticed any changes...I guess I'm just worrying too much like you said because it's my first garden. They have started to leave my corn alone now but still like my sunflowers...grr. I don't mind all the other bugs in the garden but those are just the obvious visual ones that irritate me.

Do you know what the consequences are of sap-sucking bugs?

Some of my sunflowers are droopy at the bloom, the flowers can't hold their head up....so I don't know.

Thanks again for your info and thoughts. :-)
sleekit
9 years ago
I've got them too. Came here for an ID but misspeabodi beat me to it. They are quite annoying to get rid of since they side step around the stem trying to avoid you.

The best way I've found to kill them is to "herd" them with a skewer into a pair of tweezers in my other hand. They don't like getting blasted with the spray bottle either, though this will not kill them.

An interesting note is they shoot little droplets or something out of their butt at an alarming rate.

I was fairly sure they weren't beneficial, but this post confirms it. Thanks all.
davidnall
9 years ago
They're fireflies.