Purple and orange bug......what is it?

[glenniedragon]

6 true legs and more purple in real life than appears in the picture. I can't find it in my sons bug books and I haven't seen it before- any ideas?


kind thoughts
Deb

[John Headstrong]

not the best photo but it looks like
http://images.google.com/images?um=1&ta ... d%20larvae

if I am right, they are your friends !

[glenniedragon]

Thats the fellas! hurrah I will leave them in peace and hope they invite their family and friends! I'd presumed they were the adult form of insect, they could have put a piccie in our bug book of larvae- and I'm hitched to a biologist, shame on him for not recognising a larval stage!

thanks
Kind thoughts
Deb

[hedgewizard]

I only learned that last year, Glennie - here's some more info!

http://hedgewizardsdiary.blogspot.com/2 ... valry.html

[Shirley]

Oh I long to see that sight.... YAY Glennie... you've got friends in the garden

[Millymollymandy]

I've just discovered my best peach tree absolutely loaded with greenfly and one side of the tree has gone black with sooty mould including the peaches. I saw one ladybird - it must have felt like a kid in a sweetie shop - but not going to help my poor tree.

[glenniedragon]

I've since seen LOADS of these fellas-the person who has taken over the lottie next to me is a non-sprayer too, i wonder if this has something to do with it as I certainly didn't see this many last year. Hurrah for the good guys!

kind thoughts
Deb

[hedgewizard]

MMM, check the trunk of the tree for ants - they farm aphids for the honeydew. If you see 'em, fight the ants first!

[Millymollymandy]

Will do! I didn't notice any but wasn't really looking for them. I'm just surprised I didn't notice the sooty mould before.

[Millymollymandy]

Nope, no ants, no ladybirds, no nothing except a million greenfly on the leaves and branches and swarming up the trunk, all over the ground, all over the rhubarb underneath it and the french beans nearby..... bit of a disaster zone really.