I am upset. These THINGS were NOT on my tree yesterday, and toady BOOM!!!! there they all are. They flick them selves off when you get close and they seem to fly. I would not be this upset if there were not sooo many and if I did not inspect and mist (2-3x) several times per day, but I do and there are. Here a couple of pic's.














I hosed them off and plant to do this many, many times today. I'll go out there every 1/2 hour or so and do this for now.

Thank you.

Hey disney I have no idea what they are but can you get some of that Halloween stuff that you make a web out of and kinda try and trap those darned Bratts ?


Wish i could help Hope there just pests and nothing bad bad ..your friend Tammy

I have never seen anything like that in my neck of the woods, but I would treat with Ultrafine or an alternative ASAP.

Well they like light (it's 940pm, you know dark outside). I had my kitcken blinds open and was about to open the glass portion to go outside and check on my tree and they were SWARMED on my doors, down low at the same level that I have my plant light on for my seedlings to be. Thankfully I did not open it yet. So I went out my front door and around to the back and sprayed bug spyay all over both sliding doors. I'll have to wash it all down tomorrow, but that's o.k.

I really, really would like to know what these little buggars are though.

Thanks

If you can capture one, take it to your County Extension Agent's office. If there is any obivious damage to the tree, take a sample of that too.

Of course, with the collective knowledge on this forum, you may find out here before morning.

Ned

sounds like there stalking you now ..

Let us know when you find out im most interested in what they are ..Tammy

Can you enlarge one so we can see it . I think I have that kind of "worm" ( developmental stage of a moth or butterfly) experience . They do crawl and stick its heads up sometimes?

found this as well since i cant really see the bugs i thought this would help
this is a citrus psyllid .. aka citrus greening .. this problem is allowed to be shipped out of the state of florida while not in states producing Citrus ?


http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/citrus/acpsyllid.htm

Im thinking UM dont this stuff go threw those area as well as Why spread the problem .. here hun check it out only you really know what those bugs look like tammy

They are, indeed psyllids, the vector of greening. However, that is not "a.k.a. greening." Greening is a bacterial disease, spread by the psyllid. If a psyllid is not infected when it feeds on your tree (and the overwhelmingly vast majority are not infected), the tree won't become infected.

As for controlling them, they're easy to kill with nearly any insecticide, but more will fly in -- they are among the most common of insects on Florida citrus, these days. If you can find a product containing imidaclopryd that is labeled for citrus, that will give the best control. If soil applied, it will protect trees up to about 6 feet tall. For larger trees, it would need to be sprayed on the foliage (a different formulation).

We're having ideal weather for them to multiply up just now. Once we get into the 90+ degree days of summer, their population will level off and then fall, as they grow and reproduce less, and their natural predators and parasites catch up with them.

Other than the threat of greening, they are not terribly damaging.

Do they travel together or something? There were soooo many and in every sense of the word, they arrived over-night. O.K. I got up late that morning, but the kids slept in, and I was taking that advantage of doing the same, so maybe that morning they arrived. Anyways, I keep hosing my tree with water. This morning when I got up, there were maybe 10 or so on the tree and swoosh, off they went with the hose. I also hosed off my other plants, so they won't take up residence there either. I'm glad that I still have my Cara Cara and Ponkan in the house.


Here is a link to the pictures on ImageShack. I think that you have to save it to enlarge it.

http://img400.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscn35870gz.jpg

http://img51.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscn35884mh.jpg

http://img473.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscn35953tm.jpg




Thanks

Malcolm First Off hello ..

Disney girl "I believe correct me if im wrong" .. just ordered some mantis egg sacks .. when the mantis are older will that help Keep the pshillids Down ?

if so Disney i just got some more 3 Sacks of the Chinese mantis that are supposed to be more active then the american ones ill send 1 with the strawberrys ..

If not can you suggest a good chemical for them that wont be too hard on other wild life..
as a rule i dont like using chemicals on my fruits and veggies and would like to learn as much as i can .. my father just died from agent orange and yes i have some side affects from the chemicals that where in my blood stream at birth .. so the less i use the better Off i am.. Tammy

I can't be possitive without a closer look but the "bugs" look suspeciously like termites. Termites swarm this time of year in your area. One day will be free and for the next several weeks they will swarm looking for a place to start a new colony.
Andi

Thanks everyone.

Tammy - Actually were notified that our credit cards were part of the security alert that effected numerous financial institutions. As such we were being issued new cards and we just received them this past Friday and I did not make it to place the order with March Biological (they won't have any more until next spring). I was just looking at them on ebay ( I know, I Know, of all places) but sometimes, you just have to. I just have to buy a 10 gallon aquarium tank. I already have a screened locking top for it.

I do not like chemicals and would only use if have absolutely no other choice. (I hear you about agent orange. I have relatives that are still undergoing "treatment" for the exposure) So far the water spraying is working out, and I definately need beneficial insects on my side. I lost the assassin bug two days after we had rain and cold for a few days in a row. I have been using the shower selection on the hose and I do believe they are psyllids.

If it is not too much to ask, I would love a sack. Please let me know when you are sending and I'll make sure that I am home.

You are such a sweetie . Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.

I swear I can smell those strawberries.

The 45 deg angle that they make when rested gave them away as psyllids.

http://ccpp.ucr.edu/news/Asian%20psyllid.html

Joe - I got a much better look of them with the link you provided. It is exactly what they are.

Do they travel together? There must have been a few hundred of them on one little tree. MINE. Now, I'm really upset knowing they can hurt my beautiful tree. Sorry, just a bit protective. I will inspect my tree extremely carefully tomorrow when it is lighter out and check for eggs.

Will Lady Bugs also help in eating these creatures and ridding them?

Thank you ALL for your help.