tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24376388.post5798517714839607741..comments2023-12-23T04:37:14.632-08:00Comments on Gaia Garden: Wheel Bugs Growing Up....Gaia Gardener:http://www.blogger.com/profile/00692281131036600613noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24376388.post-81135157702363819532014-06-25T06:45:16.885-07:002014-06-25T06:45:16.885-07:00GonSS, I'm looking forward to the photos!GonSS, I'm looking forward to the photos!Gaia Gardener:https://www.blogger.com/profile/00692281131036600613noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24376388.post-46892074977328329032014-06-25T06:44:46.734-07:002014-06-25T06:44:46.734-07:00Melanie, the more I watch the insect life in my ga...Melanie, the more I watch the insect life in my gardens and yard, the more amazed I am at how many predators there are! It's really fascinating stuff.<br /><br />Hope you're getting some of the rains we've been having lately.Gaia Gardener:https://www.blogger.com/profile/00692281131036600613noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24376388.post-35026710683761307712014-06-24T16:21:42.091-07:002014-06-24T16:21:42.091-07:00My hubby gets great satisfaction in squashing the ...My hubby gets great satisfaction in squashing the squash bugs and I don't mind setting them on the concrete and stepping on them. The ants love the feast. If I ever see a wheel bug with a squash bug, I will grab the camera!Gardener on Sherlock Streethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11367115529793643362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24376388.post-64948752488654355612014-06-24T12:52:01.584-07:002014-06-24T12:52:01.584-07:00Hmm. .will have to watch for those!! I will take a...Hmm. .will have to watch for those!! I will take all the predator insects I could get!!Melaniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10476707833109337386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24376388.post-55903343852934983932014-06-23T19:28:40.840-07:002014-06-23T19:28:40.840-07:00GonSS, thanks for the compliment! I think wheel b...GonSS, thanks for the compliment! I think wheel bugs would eat squash bugs, but I doubt that they'd eat enough of them to keep them in check. I'd keep up the hunt myself! (By the way, I like to carry a peanut butter jar filled with soapy water when I hunt squash bugs AND potato beetles. I just drop the bugs into the water, then flush the mess down the toilet later. The soap makes the insects drown quickly...and I'm not having to squash bugs (pun somewhat intended!), which grosses me out.)<br /><br />Oh, I also saw a robber fly eating a LARGE stink bug yesterday, too, so there are predators that will get these plant nasties.Gaia Gardener:https://www.blogger.com/profile/00692281131036600613noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24376388.post-34697280128759910132014-06-23T19:23:21.033-07:002014-06-23T19:23:21.033-07:00Greggo, don't worry about the wheel bugs (unle...Greggo, don't worry about the wheel bugs (unless you removed the potato beetles by spraying with insecticide) - they are indiscriminate feeders and will find plenty of other food! Including, perhaps, some of those cats!<br /><br />I'm guessing that the cats on the Echinacea are pearl crescent caterpillars - they feed "en masse" for the first couple stages. About the time you see them, they will disband to finish growing and start pupating. The Echinacea will be fine, although it will have a good case of the "uglies" for a while.<br /><br />Most perennials - especially prairie plants, truthfully - can take total defoliation at least once without dying. <br /><br />I'd love to see photos of what's eating your plants...although I have no idea if I'll know what I'm looking at! I'm a great fan of Bugguide.net They are phenomenally helpful!<br /><br />Just hope you don't get the grasshopper hordes that we've got again this year.....Gaia Gardener:https://www.blogger.com/profile/00692281131036600613noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24376388.post-81547218988504091722014-06-23T17:56:55.742-07:002014-06-23T17:56:55.742-07:00That was a great post. My hubby is most impressed...That was a great post. My hubby is most impressed with you documenting each stage. Good photos and I will know what to watch for better when they're little. Will they eat squash bugs? Seems like nothing eats squash bus so I must hunt them myself. Ha! Gardener on Sherlock Streethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11367115529793643362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24376388.post-50505006521123029062014-06-23T17:26:08.146-07:002014-06-23T17:26:08.146-07:00Spotted a few in the garden last night making a me...Spotted a few in the garden last night making a meal out of potato beetles. Unfortunately I had to remove a lot of the potato beetles as they were eating all my plants. It seems there are a lot of non-pollinator insects this year. Beetles ate my Baptisia blooms, I have cats on Echinacea, cats on my native Delphinium and larva on my apple trees. I should take a picture for Id?greggohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10490422976382424491noreply@blogger.com