Leaf Footed Bugs | What's That Bug?

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Immature Leaf Footed Bug

What’s the bug on the sunflower?
Location: South Pasadena, CA
May 16, 2011 12:01 am
I have a rogue sunflower in the yard. Today I spotted this bug on it. I thought maybe a leaf-footed bug, which I knew from WTB. I read that sunflowers are popular with leaf-footed bugs. I was sufficiently confident to name the image accordingly, but nowhere near certain.
Signature: Barbara

Immature Leaf Footed Bug

Hi again Barbara,
We agree that this is an immature Leaf Footed Bug, most likely in the genus Leptoglossus. It is probably the Western Leaf Footed Bug, Leptoglossus clypealis, which may be found on BugGuide. Immature Hemipterans can be quite difficult to identify since many look very similar. BugGuide does not have any images of immature Western Leaf Footed Bugs, however, this image of a nymph from the genus Leptoglossus from Texas posted to BugGuide looks very similar. We have been working for hours this morning on a Powerpoint Presentation for the Theodore Payne Foundation instead of posting new letters. We are hoping you will grant permission to use this image in our presentation.

I’d be pleased to have you use the picture. With some luck, I’ll be able to make your presentation. Thanks for your help with the bug i.d.

I will also be using some of your Monarch Caterpillar images. I have prepared the first half of the presentation and I think it is going to look awesome. Luckily, through the years, many gorgeous images have come to the website thanks to the wonderful talents of the readership. It will be great to meet you face to face if you are able to attend Barbara.

Correction June 17, 2011
Now that Barbara has supplied a photo of the adult, we can correctly identify this as Leptoglossus zonatus.

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¶ Posted 16 May 2011 § ‡ Comments (2) °

Immature Leaf Footed Bugs, in our opinion

Nymphs in a huddle on tomato plant
Location: 70119
May 9, 2011 1:51 pm
Hi there,
I’m in New Orleans and have asked a few gardener types to help identify this bug but some people think it’s the leaf footed stink bug, others say it’s the assassin bug. Will you please help me to identify it? 2 black dots on the back side & they like to be in a huddle.
Signature: Many thanks in advance, Jennifer

Immature Leaf Footed Bugs

Hi Jennifer,
Immature Hemipterans can be quite difficult to identify with any certainty, but we believe these are immature Leaf Footed Bugs in the genus Leptoglossus. They match this image on BugGuide. As you can see from the BugGuide information page, there are several species possibilities in your vicinity.

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¶ Posted 10 May 2011 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Leaf Footed Bug

Big Bug on North Texas Rose Bush
Location: North Texas
April 10, 2011 8:03 pm
I have found his bug on my rose bush three days in a row now. The roses he sits on tend to bloom brown and die quickly after. You can see the bloom behind him is browned and sickly looking. He only sits out there after the sun sets and throughout the night. The flash from the camera seemed to scare him down into the rose bush. I am hoping you can give me an answer to what kind of bug it is and if he is the demise to my roses? Also, if he is hurting the roses how do I get rid of him without use of harmful chemicals?
(harmful to him, not to me though)
Signature: Bugs and Roses

Leaf Footed Bug

Dear Bugs and Roses,
You have one of the Leaf Footed Bugs in the genus Leptoglossus. There are several possible species that are found in Texas. You can refer to BugGuide for additional information. Like other True Bugs, these Leaf Footed Bugs feed by sucking juices from plants, and they inject an enzyme that causes withering of plants when they feed. Though we have not heard of roses as a host plant, the damage you describe is very consistent with the damage that occurs to pomegranate and tomato fruits when the Leaf Footed Bugs feed upon them. We do not give extermination advice. We would suggest hand picking the Leaf Footed Bugs to remove them from your rose bushes.

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¶ Posted 11 April 2011 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Western Conifer Seed Bug

What kind of beetle is this?
Location: Sheffield, Massachusetts, The Berkshires
March 31, 2011 11:02 am
Hi…
I’m having a lot of fun on your page and I’m wondering if you can help me identify a beetle.
A few times a year, my girlfriend and I visit a friend’s country home in the Berkshires region of Western Massachusetts. In the summer, it’s mosquito CRAZY there. But in the colder months, there seems to be a migration of beetles into the house.
They are upstairs. They are downstairs. They are in the shower. We wonder what they could find to eat in the upstairs bedrooms.
They don’t bother us too much although we are sure to keep our suitcases shut tight. Occasionally, we’ll pick them up with a tissue and place them outside. I do wonder if we are sending them to die in the cold.
We don’t live there, so we’re not too concerned. But…if we did, what do you suggest would be the most humane way to deal with a beetle invasion like this one?
I’m sorry the photos aren’t more clear. They were taken with my phone camera.
Thanks much for any information you can share about these little creatures!
Signature: Todd from Brooklyn

Western Conifer Seed Bug

Hi Todd,
This is a Western Conifer Seed Bug, not a beetle. The Western Conifer Seed Bug, Leptoglossus occidentalis, is native to the Pacific Northwest, but beginning in the 1960s, it began to appear in Eastern States and Canada. In the early 21st Century, there were reports from Northern Europe. It is unclear exactly how the range of the Western Conifer Seed Bug began to expand, but your letter brings up an interesting possibility. Western Conifer Seed Bugs often enter homes as the weather cools so that they can hibernate. You mention keeping your suitcase shut tight. It is entirely possible that the range of the Western Conifer Seed Bug increased due to tourism by hitchhiking in luggage. We do not give extermination advice. Placing the beetles outside is not, in our mind, inhumane.

Hey Daniel,
Thanks again for all the good info.
They sure do like to come inside!
And I’m happy to say, I haven’t spotted any back
in my apartment in Brooklyn.
Thanks for all the good bug information!
With appreciation,
-todd

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¶ Posted 31 March 2011 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Western Conifer Seed Bug

I suspect its a borer of some kind…
Location: Merrillville, Indiana
March 21, 2011 5:24 pm
Hello Mr. Bugman, I was wondering if you could help me identify this bug. I suspect it might be a borer of some kind. I found him climbing up the window today. Thank you so much! And thank you for your wonderful website!!!
Signature: Merrillville Lady

Western Conifer Seed Bug

Dear Merrillville Lady,
You found a Western Conifer Seed Bug. We have tagged this species as one of our Top 10 identification requests because Western Conifer Seed Bugs often enter homes as the weather cools. They hibernate indoors and become active again in the spring.

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¶ Posted 23 March 2011 § ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: Top 10

Twig Wilters from South Africa

Please help identify
Location: Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
March 21, 2011 6:10 am
Hi,
I live in Johannesburg, South Africa, and as I was walking around my garden this morning I came upon a Gardenia bush full of these beetles. There seems to be 2 varieties, whether male and female, or whether different types I don’t know. Please help identify these.
Thank you!
Signature: Estelle

Twig Wilters

Hi Estelle,
These are Big Legged Bugs in the family Coreidae, and in South Africa and Australia, they are commonly called Twig Wilters. We have received images of this species before from South Africa, and we tentatively identified them as Carlisis wahlbergi, though the link we provided appears to be broken. Now a web search produces some similar looking insects, but not an exact match, including the images on www.insecta.co.za, especially this image. One of your photos shows both immature and mature specimens. The wingless nymphs will eventually grow into winged adults. The common name Twig Wilter refers to the insect’s feeding habits. A mouth designed for piercing and sucking enables the Twig Wilter to suck the fluids from young stems, causing them to wilt. Though we have not had any luck finding a reference we can link to, there appears to be some information on Carlisis wahlbergi feeding on gardenias.

Twig Wilter

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¶ Posted 21 March 2011 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Western Conifer Seed Bug may be using the postal service to increase its range!!!!

Western Conifer Seed Beetle
Location: Massachusetts
February 21, 2011 2:06 pm
Hi,
I purchased a house in Massachusetts, about 20 miles from Boston. Not long after moving in, I began seeing one or two beetles, identified on your web site today (thank you!) as a western conifer seed beetle. Even in the winter months, I continue to see one or two, occasionally more, bugs appear daily. Where are they coming from? What can I do to eliminate them?
Thank you.
-Dean-
p.s. I tried to register on your web site, but that process failed each time.
Signature: Thank you

Western Conifer Seed Bug

Dear Dean,
The Western Conifer Seed Bug, Leptoglossus occidentalis, was originally native to the Pacific Northwest, but its range expanded drastically in the late 1960s and early 1970s to include the Eastern portions of the US and Canada, where it is apparently quite happy. Reports of Western Conifer Seed Bugs from Northern Europe began to appear in the early 21st Century. After seeing your photo, we realize that the US Postal Service may be used to increase the range of the Western Conifer Seed Bug as well as probably other species. Western Conifer Seed Bugs enter homes as the weather begins to cool. They hibernate but will not cause any damage. We are copying our ace webmaster to see if he can assist with the registration problem you are having.

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¶ Posted 23 February 2011 § ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: Top 10

Immature Leaf Footed Bug from Brazil

Red bug from Brazil
Location: Brazil
February 19, 2011 11:31 am
Hey!! This is a picture from a bug that’s been showing up a lot in my house lately here in Brazil. I’ve seen lots of them around the garden by themselves, but i’ve also spotted them in large groups.
Always wondered what they were, so I thought of asking you!
Oh, and do you know if they are dangerous????
Thanks a lot!!
Signature: Mac

Leaf Footed Bug Nymph

Greetings Mac,
This is an immature Leaf Footed Bug in the family Coreidae. Leaf Footed Bugs are also known as Big Legged Bugs and Flag Footed Bugs because of the tibiae on the hind legs. Some species, like your individual, have expanded segments on the antennae as well. Because of the distinctive markings on your specimen, we would expect it to be relatively easy to identify the species, however, most sources available identify the adult or imago, and the adult may differ considerably from the young nymph.