A Pretty Pest In The Garden

Over the weekend I found a couple pretty green and black bugs on my Fall Chrysanthemum. There were black spots covering the leaves on which they stood. I took a picture to use for identification and came across an article on them from the Michigan State University IPM News page.


Apparently these little buggers can be quite a nuisance. They use their piercing mouthparts to suck juices out of the plant, causing damage to the leaves and essentially killing the plant.


Some mothods of control are manual removal, and controlling weedy hosts. Applications of pesticides can also be used. Here are some that may be used:

Pesticides: Acephate, Pyrethroids, Chlorpyrifos, Cyfluthrin, Fluvalinate, Malathion
Organic pesticides: Horticultural Oil, Insecticidal Soap, Pyrethrum
Biocontrols (microscopic): Beauveria
Timing: Apply sprays in late spring or early summer, monitor in mid to late spring.