#plant bugs

[ljsbugblog]

No common name (Trilaccus nigroruber)

[jupiterswasphouse]

[PHOTO TAKEN: APRIL 1ST, 2026 | Image ID: A photo of a black and yellow/orange bordered plant bug on the grey fabris surface of a chair /End ID.]

[cardinalmecha2]

A little Plant Bug on a Gumplant and a little bee on the top of the flower! :)

[razehider]

Taylorilygus apicalis is an unassuming little mirid also commonly known as a broken-backed bug. this name comes from its weirdly bent wings, which you can kinda see in this pic if you know what you're looking for, but given the angle i took it from it could also refer to that gamer stance. this thing is lucky it physically can't live to 30

(September 1st, 2024)

[moss-and-bugs]

Genus Reuteroscopus

Harms Woods - Glenview IL - May 22nd 2024

This guy is some sort of Plant bug most likely belonging to the Genus Reuteroscopus. I think it's white eyes are particularly fascinating to me

[balkanradfem]

I'm having a nightmarish time with my pepper plant. It's not the plant, she's great, I love her so much, it's the... the bugs.

I've had a pepper plant sprout on my balcony, in a pot, accidentally, she volunteered to grow. Cheered up by this, I decided to see if I can keep the baby plant alive during the winter, by placing her inside, so she could be my first pepper plant in the spring, and make peppers early, which would be absolutely wonderful.

So, by the time it was frosting outside, she was trying to flower, and I brought her inside; I created a little shelf in the kitchen, just by the windows, where she'd be getting plenty of light, and would be the first thing I look at when I enter the kitchen. This worked beautifully, she would cheer me up every time I entered the kitchen, green and big and beautiful.

However, only 2 days in, I realized her leaves are getting little holes in it, and by more observation, I noticed she had an infestation of plant lice. The bugs would have likely died outside in the frost, but since I brought them in, they were prospering. Annoyed, I brought the plant with me to the shower, and hosed down all of those bugs with water, so they would fall into the bath and I could get rid of them.

The plant was a little stressed out from it, but free from bugs. 3 days later, new bugs! I hosed them down again, stressing the plant out, but I think the plant realized that hosing down would not damage her, and she recovered more quickly this time. 2 days later, new bugs.

So now I'm like, okay, what remedies do we know for plant lice? I sprayed the entire plant with soapy water, which I remember was supposed to like, make bugs unable to hold onto the plant or something. No effect. Then I made a nettle infusion, remembering nettle could be poisonous to them, but the bugs did not care whatsoever.

Then, I accidentally saw in a gardening video, the way another gardener was over-wintering the pepper; they clipped all of her leaves, and only the stem was preserved! The thought of doing that to my plant was painful, even if it would get rid of the bugs, as they would have nothing to eat. I tried spraying more, didn't help, so eventually I caved, took some scissors, and cut off all of the big leaves. I left a few tiny ones, that would be too small for bugs to eat, and I wanted the plant to have at least some greenery on her, so it wouldn't be too sad.

The plant got VERY stressed from this, I could tell she wasn't happy. But she was also determined, and started growing those new leaves super quickly, I could observe by the day how much bigger they got. I also monitored them for bugs, and as there was nothing for the first 3 days, I thought we were done. A week in. New bugs.

Now why am I so upset about these bugs if they're only messing with my pepper which doesn't really need the leaves? Well, that is because very soon, after the winter solstice, which is now a week away, I will be planting new seedlings for the next spring. First about 10, then 20 and 30 and then over 60 little plants will be on that same shelf. And the bugs absolutely will attack them all. I could lose my entire garden if I don't get this under control.

I need to either resolve the bug infestation (and I don't wanna cut off these last few leaves! The plant really wants to keep them!) or put my pepper plant somewhere else, isolated and in darkness, which would make us both very sad. So, anyone ever got rid of some plant lice successfully? I've never had them inside before, and I've already exhausted all my ideas.

[rattyexplores]

Monaloniini Bugs

Unidentified, tribe Monaloniini

19/03/23

[talkingtomyhouseplants]

My Hoya's annoying family members are visiting... Mealybugs!

Always practice observation. Check your plant's leaves and stem. Mealybugs love sneaking in your Hoya's. The sooner you find them, the faster and easier it will be to kill them & stop the reproduction cycle.