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Location

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Eugene, OR

Now the the warmer weather has finally made its way here, I'm starting to see a few insects here and there. In the past week or so, I've started seeing a small black bug with orange spots around the plants and cold frames. Not a lot, but just a couple so far. They are quite a bit smaller than the common housefly. Anyone have any idea if this bug is something to worry about?

I looked at a few sites regarding insect identification but I couldn't find a bug with the same color scheme. I'll try to get a picture. Any ideas?

Brian

6/10/2004 3:39:31 PM

Arizona

too many kinds of bugs out there, would have to have a Photo to make a guess.

Jeff

6/10/2004 4:44:50 PM

Eugene, OR

OK, I finally caught the little guy on camera. Please see my diary for the picture once it's approved. I found him on one of the developing male flowers but placed it on the leaf to get a clear picture.

There is no visible damage to any of the leaves or anywhere else for that matter. What do you bug experts think?

Thanks!

6/11/2004 5:08:07 PM

In the shade - PDX, OR

Brian - That is one of the most beneficial larvae on the planet. What ever you do don't squash that bug!

That is a lady bug larvae and they can eat hundreds of aphids. Roll out the welcome mat for those.....

6/12/2004 2:49:13 AM

Eugene, OR

Thank you CEIS. You're the second person to tell me that and it makes me feel a whole lot better about things. These are the only bugs I've seen in the patch so far so I guess things are OK for now. Thanks guys!!

Incidentally, sorry for the double diary entry. The first upload attempt resulted in an error message and the second attempt resulted in a text-only entry. I guess the first entry made it to the server after all.

6/12/2004 1:24:58 PM