Blue beetles in my yard - Ask Extension
I’ve never seen this in my garden until this year. Should I be worried?
Knowledgebase
Blue beetles in my yard #877841
Asked July 18, 2024, 6:36 PM EDT
I’ve never seen this in my garden until this year. Should I be worried?
Benton County Oregon
Expert Response
Thank you June for your question to "Ask Extension". From the picture that you sent the "bug" has been identified as the bordered plant bug (Largus succinctus or Largus sp.) The adult is pretty easy to identify, but the immature nymphs can sometimes be a bit more difficult, as they don’t look anything like the adults. The nymphs (immature stage) lack fully developed wings. Their color is metalic blue/black with an orange, warning triangle at center.
Bordered plant bugs feed using piercing-sucking mouthparts and are classified as true bugs, order Heteroptera. As such, their food consists entirely of liquid extracted from plant tissues. Their feeding is concentrated on the most nutritious parts of plants such as flowers and fruit. In most cases no control is needed as the insects often move on late in the summer and don’t cause significant harm to ornamental plants. In the food garden, the insects can cause damage by scarring developing fruits, such as strawberries and blueberries. In this case, hand removal is easy by knocking insects into a mason jar, vacuuming them up using a shop vac, or stepping on them. No chemical control is recommended.
I hope that you find this information useful and as always Happy Gardening.
Bordered plant bugs feed using piercing-sucking mouthparts and are classified as true bugs, order Heteroptera. As such, their food consists entirely of liquid extracted from plant tissues. Their feeding is concentrated on the most nutritious parts of plants such as flowers and fruit. In most cases no control is needed as the insects often move on late in the summer and don’t cause significant harm to ornamental plants. In the food garden, the insects can cause damage by scarring developing fruits, such as strawberries and blueberries. In this case, hand removal is easy by knocking insects into a mason jar, vacuuming them up using a shop vac, or stepping on them. No chemical control is recommended.
I hope that you find this information useful and as always Happy Gardening.