Leaf-Foot Bug

Posted by David Brady on September 15, 2008 at 7:00 am · Filed under Animalia, Arthropods, Crawling, Insects, Picture of the Day, SFA, True Bugs

Leaf-Foot Bug
Click for larger version

This is, according to Aaron Wadley, a “Leaf-Foot Bug”.

And it is sucking Aaron’s tomatoes. Look at the larger version of the image, you can see its beak poked right into the tomato like a straw.

I wonder if they go “shhlllluuurrrrgleurgleurgleurgle” when they get to the bottom of the tomato?

5 Comments »

  1. CyberLizard said,

    September 15, 2008 @ 7:25 am

    “Leaffooted Bug” is the common name. Leptoglossus phyllopus (Linnaeus) if you want to get fancy. I’m usually lazy about finding out the details, but this critter pissed me off when they messed with my tomatoes. After reading about them, I couldn’t eat any tomato with even a single little spot; knowing they had stuck their biological straws in there grossed me out.

    And the “shhlllluuurrrrgleurgleurgleurgle” was driving me crazy :-D

  2. JFargo said,

    September 15, 2008 @ 11:38 am

    Are those Chili peppers in the background? Do they grow well in your area?

    I’ve got these things all over my Summer Squash, and they’re ruining my crop (because, you know, I haven’t had enough problems with my garden this year). Have you found any good ways to get rid of them, by chance?

    Great picture, btw.

  3. CyberLizard said,

    September 15, 2008 @ 2:13 pm

    Thank, JFargo. No, not chili peppers. The red you see is the tomato cage. I mostly just tried to catch them and pull them off. Then I found TONS of juveniles running around. I used insecticidal oil, I think. I believe the brand was “Safer 3-in-1″. Unfortunately, I don’t have to worry any more. My homeowners association made me tear up my garden. Nature, however, won’t be contained. I just found a tomato plant and a cantaloupe vine growing in my compost pile :) And my okra is embedded in a landscaping bed, so it escaped attention.

  4. ziyda said,

    September 15, 2008 @ 3:46 pm

    Really nice picture, and that is one gnarly creature.

  5. JFargo said,

    September 16, 2008 @ 11:17 am

    Hey Aaron, really sorry to hear about the garden. I’ve got one going in the backyard, and if my Maintenance Corporation decided it was against the rules, I’d have BIG problem with it. Going through what you went through, I think, would make me seriously consider finding a way to sell my house, despite the bad market.

    Of course, I’m also considering to run for a spot on the board, so that I can make sure that doesn’t happen. :)

    Good luck with your okra, and I hope you allow the tomato plant and cantaloupe vine to flourish!

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