Subject: What are these bugs on my artichoke?
Geographic location of the bug: Southern France
Date: 04/29/2018
Time: 09:48 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Our artichoke plants are infested with these strange looking bugs. They are on artichoke plants quite far apart, but no other plants. Looks like some sort of lice (?) with a very strange tail which they use to cover/camouflage their bodies with. They are eating the plants fast and causing quite a lot of damage. Approx 5mm in size.
How you want your letter signed: Matilde Holloway
Dear Matilde,
These look unmistakably like Tortoise Beetle Larvae that carry fecal matter on their back for camouflage. We did some research and found several French language sites, including Natura Mediterraneo and Agraria that identify these as the larvae of the Tortoise Beetle Cassida deflorata.
