[BillyH]

Can someone help me in identifying this bug? Is it beneficial or harmful?

I'm finding a lot of them on the shaded side of seed pods in the field in front of our house.

I'm in Central Texas.

 

[nomadrivingmecrazy]

Are they atacking the worm? They are weird looking.

 

[Wid LT1000]

Very interesting specimin! I know nothing about bugs, but I took a look around the web.

Take a look at www.bugguide.net - looks like it may be a red and black nymph?

 

[Steve (Magnolia TX)]

I'm not certain.
I've got those around, too... and have wondered the same thing.

Best that I can find... they appear to be larval stage 'Leaffooted Bugs'.

http://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/aimg65.html

 

[BillyH]

That curly thingy does look like a worm but it's a part of the plant.

It does look like the picture of the red and black nymph.
If you take a closer look you will see some smaller solid red bugs.
Are they a different bug or just baby versions of the larger one with the black markings?

On a few of these seed pods I have also found a few ladybugs.

 

[lt230s]

Is that a milkweed pod they are on?
Maybe they are feeding on the sap. Looks like there are some aphids there near the bottom of the pod near the stem.
Interesting, although I can't help identify.

 

[D-Dogg]

soldier beetle, I believe.

 

[LLigetfa]

Looks a lot like the brown ambrosia aphid.

http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/hemipt/Uroleucon.htm

 

[BillyH]

John, I'm not sure what type of weed/plant that is.
We bought this place last September. There are 3 acres in front of the house that I haven't mowed since last November, mostly because of the bluebonnets and other wild flowers. Been waiting for them to seed out, which they are now doing.
The plants with the bugs flowered out after the bluebonnets were up pretty good.
It was a very interesting white flower. From a distance they looked like baseballs. When you got a little closer you could see that this ball was made up of many tiny white flowers, each about the size of a nickel.

 

[partlycloudy]

Reminds me of the boxelder bugs when I lived in Utah.

http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/DG0998.html

 

[KHodges]

If they were congregating in masses like that on my plants, they'd be "almost-dead" bugs.

 

[deereboy55]

The orkin advertisement, ....would call that a BIG..YUCKY .. BUG .....:sidelaugh ..... are their any other kind?