Subject: What is living on my marijuana plant?
Geographic location of the bug: Mount Washington, Los Angeles, California
Date: 07/25/2019
Time: 09:05 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Dear Bugman,
In addition to the predatory Green Lynx Spiders and California Mantids I have living on my pot plants, I now found this impressive guy. So, is this a friend or foe in my garden? Right after I took the photos, it flew away.
How you want your letter signed: Constant Gardener
Dear Constant Gardener,
This big True Bug is one of the Leaf Footed Bugs in the genus Leptoglossus. Based on BugGuide, where it states “Two yellowish spots on the forward part of the pronotum are distinctive. Also has a zigzagging white band across the wings (like some other species). Expansions of the hind tibiae are also much larger and more jagged than most other species.”, it is Leptoglossus zonatus. This is a plant feeding species, and it has a proboscis designed to pierce the plant and suck its juices. BugGuide also states: “Highly polyphagous” which is an indication that if it was on your Cannabis, it was probably feeding.
