Subject: On an Avacado tree
Geographic location of the bug: Davis, California
Date: 05/09/2019
Time: 03:27 PM EDn
Your letter to the bugman: I have found a few of these on the tree, wondering if they are a pest or beneficial.
How you want your letter signed: Pat
Dear Pat,
We would need you to more clearly define “pest or beneficial” but in our opinion, this is a beneficial Katydid nymph. Katydids will eat foliage and flowers, but they will not defoliate trees, nor will it eat your avocados. Katydids are also among the “music makers” in the insect world, and we thoroughly enjoy their sounds in the evening. We believe your individual is an immature Bush Katydid in the genus Scudderia.
Thank you for your response. I suppose those terms do include some subjectivity, I guess I was just wondering if I should be concerned seeing a handful of them on a young tree?
Thanks again,
Pat