Knowledgebase

Red Bug on my Zucchini Plants #869836

Asked May 23, 2024, 6:17 PM EDT

Hi. I am trying to figure out what insect is on my zucchini plants. It is very small and mostly red around the head and thorax. Also some black on the abdomen. When I first googled it, I thought maybe it was a red-headed flea beetle. But now google images is saying it is a soldier beetle. Any thoughts? Something is eating tiny holes in the zucchini leaves. I have sprayed them with diluted neem oil to see if that helps.

Montgomery County Maryland

Expert Response

This appears to be some kind of plant bug in the family Miridae. The closest match we could find is Coccobaphes frontifer. It appears to be a piercing-sucking plant feeder, not a chewer. With these species typically found on maples, maybe it fell from a nearby maple tree.

Tiny holes in zucchini plants can be caused by flea beetles or cucumber beetles. Follow the links to our pages, which offer management options for both.

Christa

Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied May 24, 2024, 1:08 PM EDT

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