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
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.