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Bugs eating my prairie #871335

Asked June 03, 2024, 2:47 PM EDT

This year I have something eating/destroying a number of the plants in my native prairie. They seem to have almost completely destroyed the anise hyssop. They like bee balm. They may have eaten the prairie blazing star beyond recognition (and they aren't too big this time of year so I am not sure). In my regular garden, they like the horseradish and the mint - so far. What would you recommend I do? There are a lot of them visible on many plants.

Hennepin County Minnesota

Expert Response

Thanks for your question.

We are having slight difficulty in identifying this insect. We believe that it belongs in the botanical family known as Miridae. Insects in this family are often just termed “plant bugs”. If we had to make a guess, we would say this is Metriorrhynchomiris dislocatus. It is often found in prairie ecosystems. They show a degree of color variation with some individual insects having more yellow than red. See the following for some images of it:

https://bugguide.net/node/view/2120370/bgimage

https://bugguide.net/node/view/2257486/bgimage

http://minnesotaseasons.com/Insects/plant_bug_Metriorrhynchomiris_dislocatus.html

I was unable to find any reputable sources regarding remedial treatments. My best judgement is that the damage they do is largely cosmetic. The use of any chemical insecticide would be highly detrimental towards native insect pollinators. These adults should not be around for much longer. With luck and favorable growth conditions, hopefully replacement foliage will reappear on your plants.

Good luck. Thanks for consulting us.

An Ask Extension Expert Replied June 04, 2024, 9:21 PM EDT

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