NOT beetles, true bugs-False Chinch Bugs!
Here I was being fiddle and pedantic. Night before last she said, “ does this look like them?” Handing me her phone with what was indeed our pest!!! False Chinch Bug, Nysius raphanous. Omg that’s it? How did you figure it out?
“I saw a post on Instagram. I follow a couple of local farms," she said, "and I think I saw something yesterday.” Solar Punk Farm. #neemoilnotworking
Order - Hemiptera
Family - Lygaeidae
Genus - Nysius
Species - raphanus
Pests:
They pierce plants and drink the juices, depriving them of water and nutrients. The older plants generally survive, but they are very hard on the younger ones. Damage takes days to weeks to appear--it can manifest as leaf wilt, leaf curling or the appearance of leaf burn.
Two Forms
There are 2 forms: nymphs and adults. Nymphs are oblong with brown head and thorax, orange abdomen covered in tiny white dots. Adults are slender and completely brown. Wings fully grown cover the abdomen as they cross over the end of the body. Both stages have large eyes that bulge out of the side of the head, and pointy beak-like mouths.
They develop from nymph to reproductive adults in "less than a month," hence many generations can live a the same time, feeding in the same field. Peak numbers occur at mid-summer, roughly when crops are ready for harvesting.
During cool springs with ample rain, their population can swell to alarming size. In dry hot spells, clusters "may seek cooler temperatures inside buildings." Generally they can be found indoors for a week or so. (?! Hm)
They overwinter in both life stages. Look for adults in the cooler parts of the day--dawn and dusk. The hot afternoon sun drives them to the ground for shade cover.
From Insectidentification.org
“I saw a post on Instagram. I follow a couple of local farms," she said, "and I think I saw something yesterday.” Solar Punk Farm. #neemoilnotworking
So it isn’t just us; apparently the whole area has been hit with them.... One site I read said they peak every 10 years. So maybe this is just cyclical? They are worse when there is a moist spring. They suck on the plant stems so are particularly hard on young plants.
 |
 |
Family - Lygaeidae
Genus - Nysius
Species - raphanus
Pests:
They pierce plants and drink the juices, depriving them of water and nutrients. The older plants generally survive, but they are very hard on the younger ones. Damage takes days to weeks to appear--it can manifest as leaf wilt, leaf curling or the appearance of leaf burn.
Two Forms
There are 2 forms: nymphs and adults. Nymphs are oblong with brown head and thorax, orange abdomen covered in tiny white dots. Adults are slender and completely brown. Wings fully grown cover the abdomen as they cross over the end of the body. Both stages have large eyes that bulge out of the side of the head, and pointy beak-like mouths.
They develop from nymph to reproductive adults in "less than a month," hence many generations can live a the same time, feeding in the same field. Peak numbers occur at mid-summer, roughly when crops are ready for harvesting.
During cool springs with ample rain, their population can swell to alarming size. In dry hot spells, clusters "may seek cooler temperatures inside buildings." Generally they can be found indoors for a week or so. (?! Hm)
They overwinter in both life stages. Look for adults in the cooler parts of the day--dawn and dusk. The hot afternoon sun drives them to the ground for shade cover.
From Insectidentification.org
 |
| Here is the kind of damage they do--little scars/ scabs from their piercing and sucking. |
 |
| So far they have only damaged one side of one plant. We are kind of worried about our patch of lamb's ears (not pictured) --they were hit very hard. |
 |
| Cover your beverage if you don't want them bobbing in it! |
 |
| Pretty gross--they are slipping inside around the edges of the screens. I sure hope they die down after a couple of weeks. |
Comments