i have found these bugs on several different plants. With the naked eye they always look like a grey band having the same shape .. its not until I have a photo or video and zoom in that can I see the individual bugs. I have searched the internet but cannot find anything that resembles this. One person said they are possibly aphids. I sprayed with Trilogy yesterday, which is good for aphids, but that effort could have been a waste of time. Can someone please help identify these insects?
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user25288
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I just looked up Trilogy - it appears to be a fungicide and miticide, not an insecticide and aphid control is not one of its functions, so is that what you used? What part of the world are you in, and which plants (names) have this problem? – Bamboo Apr 02 '19 at 11:06
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From the flies around them, the likely guess is they are fly pupae which have stuck themselves on the leaf. Presumably you missed the earlier stage (probably a week ago) when they were little maggot-like grubs feeding on your plants. Flies tend to lay a batch of eggs in one place which all develop at the same pace if conditions are good, hence the relatively huge infestation on one leaf.
They are not going to do any more damage to your plants now. What you can see is just a protective shell with a maggot turning into a fly inside it. The pupae are probably hard to dislodge mechanically (they are literally glued on) and their "shell" won't absorb chemicals, so just go after the flies as they hatch and hope you don't get more batches of eggs.
alephzero
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If no nearby leaves are damaged than it is extremely doubtful that these insects cause plant damage (many flies are actually beneficial). Rule of Insect Control number 1. Do not spray a pesticide until you have identified the pest and understand its growth cycle, so that you apply the correct control at the correct time for that control. – Jurp Apr 02 '19 at 23:27