Tag: beetle

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Bug-a-boo Zoo

I have had such weird and wonderful bugs coming into my garden lately that I had to do a special post on all the bugs I have met so far. Every time I step onto my back deck, I have to run and get my camera. It is as if they wait for me and pose. Thanks to a lot of our friends, we were able to identify all of them. Here are a few of them, from the most recent visitors ……

A cheeky grasshopper is sitting in one of my sunflowers and chomping away on the petals – yum!

[one_half]Not a bug, but a common visitor and friend[/one_half]

[one_half_last]This female hopper is hanging by 2 claws[/one_half_last]

Voracious fruit beetles all clambering for a taste of the sticky, yummy figs! The annoying Starlings wake us up in the mornings with their squealing as they tear open the figs. They eat some but they just destroy a whole lot of them. These broken figs are what the fruit beetles are devouring!

[one_half]Remember this little guy? Longicorn beetle[/one_half]

[one_half_last]And this strange beauty? The Devil Horse Mantis[/one_half_last]

[one_half]This Rhinoceros beetle I found in the manure, remember?[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Some kind of horned caterpillar…. forget the name![/one_half_last]

[one_half]Colourful little beetle, isn’t he? A Harlequin bug[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Another Harlequin Bug[/one_half_last]

[one_half]En masse the locust can destroy, but this one is ok on his own[/one_half]

[one_half_last]This Haarskeeder is the ugliest insect of the bunch![/one_half_last]

[one_half]Remember this mommy Praying Mantis who left her basket of children at my front door?[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Ladybugs are always welcome in my garden!![/one_half_last]

Well, I hope you enjoyed visiting my Bug-a-boo Zoo. I will keep you updated with any new additions.

Happy gardening xxxxx

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Bug parade

Lots of these on the roses!

So with the summer weather also come the summer bugs. And there seems to be no shortage of bugs and creepy-crawlies in my garden.

I had this grand idea that I would live and let live and that they would control each other. After this bug parade I’m having second thoughts. I’m not at the stage yet where I’m getting the sprayer out but I am hand picking some of them when I see them and squashing, drowning or throwing over the wall into … well you know where šŸ™‚

The Gecko of course is most welcome … I have two at the moment. One lives in the back veggie garden (its nice and hot there) and one lives on our front patio, in the brick-work somewhere. They are cute and I love seeing them, but they are very shy and sensitive to sound (and I constantly have 2 noisy dogs in tow) so it’s not easy to photograph them in a beautiful setting. Wall shots are the best I can get – I will try to do better in Summer when they come out of hiding for a bit longer.

Here is the collection of bugs that have been parading around my garden this week …

The Good …

Gecko

and all the rest …

[one_half]Lovely markingsLovely markings[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Eating the HabanerosEating the Habaneros[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Yikes, they look awfulYikes, they look awful[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Double yuck!Double yuck![/one_half_last]

[one_half]On the MandevillaOn the Mandevilla[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Seems to have lost a legSeems to have lost a leg[/one_half_last]

[one_half]One of the good guysOne of the good guys[/one_half]

[one_half_last]And the not so good …And the not so good ...[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Lots of these on the roses!Lots of these on the roses![/one_half]

[one_half_last]Found the culprit!Found the culprit![/one_half_last]

[one_half]Lots of babies or what is this?Lots of babies?[/one_half]

[one_half_last]A whole family of themLots more where these came from![/one_half_last]

Whats eating your garden?

Happy gardening
xxx

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Bugs & Pests Christine's garden Gardening Home page features

Is it a Stinker or a Lady?

Stink or Lady?

Today I found the most amazing thing … hundreds of these tiny beetle-like bugs just emerging from cocoons and waking up on one of the Nandina domestica shrubs. I was ambling around the garden late this afternoon after a hard days garden “clean up” and looking for blooms to capture for Bloom Day coming up next week, when my eye spotted these baby beetles through the camera.

Although they are visible to the naked eye (they are about 2mm round at the time I saw them), I only spotted them as I was focussing in on the white blossoms on the Nandina as the beetles are still very tiny. I watched one emerge from its cocoon and I took hundreds of photos of it – regrettably not one of them is publishable, so I didn’t manage to get it on film.

I’ve been to Bugguide.net and Whatsthatbug.com and I can’t make out what these are, but I am guessing they are either stink bug nymphs or lady beetles (hopeful!). I googled Stink Bug cocoon and stink bug chrysalis and it seems like Stink Bugs come from eggs, very green eggs. So I’m really not sure what these are. You can click on the photos to see the large versions.

[one_half]Stink or Lady?[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Stink or Lady?[/one_half_last]

Can anyone help me identify these cute beetles?

In other news … I found this visitor on the Lynchnis today. This is a stink bug I think. Pretty sure actually. I get lots of these.

[one_half]Bug on the LynchnisBug on the Lynchnis[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Pretty sure its a Stink bugBug on the Lynchnis[/one_half_last]

Happy Gardening
xxx

 

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What Beetle is this and does it matter?

Beetle

This morning I found these two beetles on my potato bush. They are not unattractive – yellow and black markings that appear to be unique on each beetle. Their legs are bright yellow and the antennae are black. I’m guessing they eat the leaves but couldn’t find a single leaf with tell-tale holes in them so I’m not sure. Maybe they actually eat the Gardenia shrubs which are all around the pot I have this bush in – The Gardenias have lots of leaves that shows signs of being some beetles favourite meal. I’d be really happy if they’d eat the potato bush instead.

I’ve been Googling “black and yellow beetle” and “beetles” and haven’t been able to find a single beetle that looks anything like this, so if anyone sees this and knows what it is I’d be most grateful for a comment left below.

Here are the photographs (Click to enlarge).

[one_half]Beetle[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Beetle[/one_half_last]

Happy gardening!
xxx

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Sunday Bugs

Bug One

A walk around the garden this morning to access what I need to do today after the heat of yesterday reveals plenty of work and evidence of the wildlife munching on my plants.

Here’s who was in my garden today … (Click to enlarge. Apologies for the quality of some of the photos – I’m still learning how to use the macro lens).

[one_half]Bug One[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Bug Two[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Bug Three[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Centipede?[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Ugg, whats that?[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Eating my Lilies[/one_half_last]

[one_half]A friendly fly[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Ok, he's welcome![/one_half_last]

I’m not keen to kill everything that is eating my plants. Aphids … those I have to zap (and white fly etc), the cutworms have to go and those that decimate my Lilies? Sorry guys, not on my turf!

But beetles and caterpillars? I think they all serve a purpose in the garden so i’m leaving them be. I hope they enjoyed the lunch!

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African Fruit Beetle

African Fruit Beetle

[one_half]African Fruit BeetleAfrican Fruit Beetle on my figs!![/one_half]

[one_half_last]GrubsAfrican Fruit Beetle grub (image:wikipedia)[/one_half_last]

Hi Chris, I wanted to do a quick post before I start with a new work project. This darn thing is all over my figs. They are the African Fruit Beetle. Do you have these too? I did some research and found some interesting info.

(Pachnoda sinuata) the garden fruit chafer or brown-and-yellow fruit chafer, is a species of beetle found in Africa from the Congo Basin southwards. These insect pests can cause extensive amounts of damage to crops.

Adult beetles feed on flowers and fruit, often destroying them in the process which makes them unpopular with gardeners. They feed on overripe fruit, and favour roses, reason why they are also known as ‘rose beetles’ and fruit chafers. The beetle bores into the soft, ripe flesh of almost any fruit to extract the juices.While commonly found on exotic plants like roses and camellias, these beetles also feed on a range of indigenous plants including Acacia. Ā Adults lay their eggs in manure and compost heaps or among plant roots. The pupae develop inside large, egg-shaped protective clay shells. This species is a popular prey species for many species of bird, such as red-wing starlingsĀ and Hadeda Ibises. (reference:Ā From Wikipedia)

The big aha! for me was the grub! I did not know it came from this beetle!! I see it all over my garden when I dig in the veggie patch and the compost heep. The chickens love them!Ā  So that’s where they come from!!

How do we get rid of these!!? I don’t have Har-dee-dars coming into my garden, so I have to try something else!