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I found these beetles on my Okra this morning. Can anyone identify them? I just moved to central Texas (north of Austin)

Are they predatory?

Or, are they going to eat my plants? And if so, what would be the best way to take care of them safely for my vegetables?

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EDIT: As requested, here is a photo of the underside of one of my leaves. There are the tiniest white (and some black) specs on the underside of the leaves.

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Niall C.
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Andy Fox
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2 Answers2

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Those beetles aren't the main problem. They are actually eating your main problem. You've got white fly a sucking insect depleting your plants. You might have spider mite as well. Look UNDER the leaves, take a picture of that. Those leaves are having the life sucked out of them and those beetles (I gotta go look them up as well) are more than likely enjoying eating up your problem (s). And doing you a favor. I'd shake the beetles off, unless some entomologist type person on our site says they are a problem (I really don't think so but), then dunk the top of the plant in a NEEM 1 oz per gallon solution. For now, assume those beetles are good guys!

stormy
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  • Let's see, the latest ID I have on these guys are; Western Conifer Seed Bug or Leptoglossus occidentalis? Longhorn or Stink bug beetles...someone here will have a more knowledgeable ID than this. Beetles are pretty cool insects! Please send a picture of what you find underneath those leaves... – stormy Nov 16 '16 at 23:21
  • Thanks, this is what I was hoping. I'm going to try the neem oil solution and try to keep the beetles safe, and I'll report back. At the moment the plant is staying pretty healthy looking. – Andy Fox Nov 18 '16 at 17:33
  • Yup, you got lots of sucking insects those beetles have been harvesting. Take off the palest leaves. The chlorophyll food making factories are decimated and those leaves won't be much help. Make sure you keep an eye for more insects to do another dunk. Spraying is just a waste of time. Neem works well. It is as strong as I ever go with a pesticide. At this level of insect damage, I would use NEEM. You should have a magnifying glass. Everyone should. Those loupes of 10X are perfect. The micro world is fascinating!! Do you see the webbing or is that my imagination, grins??? – stormy Nov 18 '16 at 20:51
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Those are leaf footed bugs, and yes, their sting will make the okra bumpy or cause it to be curved. I do not see any whiteflies.

Amanda Larson
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