Question
I live at the edge of a neighborhood bordering the mountains in North Ogden. The last week we have seen hundreds and hundreds of little beetle-like bugs that have six legs, two antennas and a green/black body with a bright orange border. It appears the adult version of the beetle is about 1/4 inch long and fairly round. I'm wondering what this bug is and what damage it can/will do. I have close-up photos that I'd be more than happy to provide. Can you please help me identify this pest?
Answer(s)
For what it's worth, there between 1,000,000 and
30,000,000 things out there with 6 legs and 2 antennae!
From your description, though, it sounds like you may
be dealing with some type of immature stinkbug, perhaps
a green shield bug, or a Say stink bug. These are members
of the True Bug family and have piercing-sucking mouthparts
which they use to suck the juices out of plants. They are
usually not of much concern, but can become damaging to
crops/gardens if their numbers become too high.
Take a look at some of these pictures and let me know if
this is what you are seeing. If not, send along the pictures
and I'll see what I can do.
http://bugguide.net/node/view/6978/bgimage?from=0
The Chlorochroa sayi is likely the species you are seeing.
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