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| Hi,
Can anyone help me identify these insects? They mostly seem to hang out in groups (anywhere from five to a dozen) on my hot pepper plants. My peppers are pretty widely spaced (in containers, not in the ground) but I don't see these little guys on any of the plants between my hot peppers. I did a google search, but didn't find anything helpful. But I'm sure that's because I don't have a good starting place. Thank you for any help! |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| They look sort of like carpenter ants, a member of the termite family. They usually get wings though when older, but those of yours look like the ones on google. |
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| I'm going to guess some sort of assassin bug (there are many types). If so, they're supposed to be good guys. |
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| Carpenter ants are ants. They are no more termites than any other type of ant. Ants come in different varieties: queen, drone, worker, soldier. Only the queens and drones ever get wings, and they all do so at the same time every year (usually late spring). tsheets, they do look like true bugs (Heteroptera). Some are predators and some suck sap. Since these don't appear to be damaging the leaves, I'd assume predator and leave them be. |
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| Sorry DM, I should have said Carpenter ants are members along with others of wood destroying insects, which unlike termites that eat wood, Ants forage though wood on their way to nesting opportunities. And, yes, thanks for the info on the wings..... Daryll By Paul Fisette � � 2002 Carpenter ants and termites are wood-destroying insects that cost us billions of dollars every year. More than 90% of the homes in the US are wood framed. But even homes built of masonry and steel serve up delicious wood treats to these pests. Left unchecked, they systematically destroy our homes and valuable wood objects in them. |
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| MBaxter: I suck at identifying bugs/pests. The folks in the "pests and diseases" forum are pretty damn good at it though. |
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| Thanks everyone! I did some image searching on google for assassin bugs. It does look like these guys are a nymph form of an assassin bug. Since they don't seem to be hurting the plants or my peppers any, I guess I'll just wait and watch them. Thanks guys! @woohooman - I did think of that, but it seems to be a less frequented forum, and since these bugs ONLY seem to be on my peppers I thought I'd start here first. :) |
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| Do a search for leaf footed bug nymph also and compare. They look very similar to an assassin bug. |
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| They do look similar to the leaf footed bug nymphs. Hard to tell exactly what they are. If they are leaf footed bugs, I don't think you want them around. |
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| MBaxter: You are correct... There is less traffic in that forum. Definitely a lot more lively in this one. Kevin |
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