Can facepunch help identify these red bugs in my garden?
18 replies, posted
Found these all over a garden bean bush earlier today. They are about the size of a US quarter, red and long legs (but 6 so not spiders). I've never seen these before in my vegetable gardens, but I have also never grown beans before so I'm not sure if these are a pest or some helpful bug (leaning heavily toward pest).
I don't even know how to get them off of the plants.
[t]https://i.imgur.com/kg0PnCr.jpg[/t]
assassin bug
Looks like a bunch of assassin bug nymphs, so they're eating other bugs, but whenever I get home later I can look around more
I thought the first person was joking when he said "assassin bugs" :v:
[QUOTE=postal;52688771]Looks like a bunch of assassin bug nymphs, so they're eating other bugs, but whenever I get home later I can look around more[/QUOTE]
I've read that some assassin bugs do go after people, I don't know if these are that type though. Apparently there are dozens of different types of assassin bugs?
[QUOTE=Dr. Evilcop;52689002]I thought the first person was joking when he said "assassin bugs" :v:[/QUOTE]
is no joke comrade, is our revenge for [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_against_the_potato_beetle]potato bug[/url]. enjoy having your plants killed by our assassin bug xaxaxa ))))))))
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;52689095]I've read that some assassin bugs do go after people, I don't know if these are that type though. Apparently there are dozens of different types of assassin bugs?[/QUOTE]
I know at least some do, although I don't recall the specific type. Their bites are fucking vicious though so just be wary if they are.
Though from what I do remember I don't think those are the ones that go after humans or they aren't the same ones I remember having a run in with. Either way they're supposedly beneficial for gardens and don't require controlling as long as you don't try picking them up or mishandling them.
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;52689095]I've read that some assassin bugs do go after people, I don't know if these are that type though. Apparently there are dozens of different types of assassin bugs?[/QUOTE]
Watch your back
[QUOTE=WitheredGryphon;52689123]I know at least some do, although I don't recall the specific type. Their bites are fucking vicious though so just be wary if they are.
Though from what I do remember I don't think those are the ones that go after humans or they aren't the same ones I remember having a run in with. Either way they're supposedly beneficial for gardens and don't require controlling as long as you don't try picking them up or mishandling them.[/QUOTE]
As a general rule, I don't pick up bugs. I don't like bugs at all. I'll tolerate them around me, but not touching me.
That being said, I do need to pick the beans soon else they'll dry out and won't be any good for eating. Would just rinsing the plants off with a hose move them off long enough to harvest or is there some other way to move them?
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;52689145]As a general rule, I don't pick up bugs. I don't like bugs at all. I'll tolerate them around me, but not touching me.
That being said, I do need to pick the beans soon else they'll dry out and won't be any good for eating. Would just rinsing the plants off with a hose move them off long enough to harvest or is there some other way to move them?[/QUOTE]
I haven't handled assassin bugs to that extent before so I'm not sure. They aren't aggressive unless they feel threatened typically so whatever way makes moving them easiest would be my recommendation. It looks like you have quite a lot of them so trying to move them by hand might take a very long time.
I'd wait for a better answer from someone more experienced with handling though.
[editline]Edited:[/editline]
If you want to do some further reading I'm pretty sure those are adult Milkweed assassin bugs
I got bit by a nymph when I put my hand on a wall to balance myself, must've smushed and it bit me in defense. Motherfucker hurts too, no worse than a wasp sting though.
[QUOTE=WitheredGryphon;52689183]
If you want to do some further reading I'm pretty sure those are adult Milkweed assassin bugs[/QUOTE]
According to google, milkweed assassin bugs don't live as far north as I do.
I live in New Jersey, while the most north that bug lives is in the Carolinas.
Though maybe they've spread further north due to the warming climate?
I'm sure glad we don't have insectoid assassins in Scandinavia. As for rinsing, can't you just use somekind of fan to blow them off to the ground?
Generally the easiest way to handle bugs in my opinion since it involves zero physical contact and thus they can't get pissed off because as far as they know it was the wind that did it.
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;52689145]As a general rule, I don't pick up bugs. I don't like bugs at all. I'll tolerate them around me, but not touching me.
That being said, I do need to pick the beans soon else they'll dry out and won't be any good for eating. Would just rinsing the plants off with a hose move them off long enough to harvest or is there some other way to move them?[/QUOTE]
a hose should work, they should drop off with very little effort. could also use a thin stick to fling them off if by some chance the hose doesn't cut it for some. tho to reiterate I wouldn't move them until you're absolutely ready to pick. if they're really swarming it this bad that means something else is trying really hard to eat that plant. probably aphids
Well I guess if they're helping, they can stay a bit longer. The beans don't need to be picked [I]right[/I] away but soon.
I'll give it a week or two.
Just an update on this, my fiance was breaking open the pods for the beans and gandules and found about a dozen little caterpillar worms inside a few of them. I guess we found where these assassin bugs meals were.
rip beans
cool thread
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;52692009]Just an update on this, my fiance was breaking open the pods for the beans and gandules and found about a dozen little caterpillar worms inside a few of them. I guess we found where these assassin bugs meals were.[/QUOTE]
Release the Swarm.
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