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PostPosted: Mon May 10, 2004 10:26 am 
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Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2004 10:06 am
Posts: 51
Location: Keller, TX
They are shaped like lady beetles and are about the same size, a wee bit smaller. They don't appear to fly. They have a design that looks more man-made than nature made. The top half of their body is black, and the bottom half is red. On the bottom half is three perfectly straight black horizontal lines, and the red part of the bug has little black dots all along the bottom.

I found them in an area between some high grass and some wood borders that separate my neighbor's lawn from mine. They move quickly, don't cling well to anything, and they were hanging out with some ants.

Any clues? They don't appear to be doing any damage, but my web searches have turned up nothing.

One final question... I saw a bug in the garden that was shiny gold in color. I kid you not. I've never seen a chrome-colored bug until this weekend. My wife will back me up on this, in case you think I've been sniffing the Garrett juice too heavily. Is this natural, or do you think it's more likely that the bug was accidentally painted?

Thanks,
Chris


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PostPosted: Mon May 10, 2004 10:29 am 
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Location: Dallas,TEXAS
Please look at the link I provided in my post a few down from yours called "Images of the 4-line plant bug". I'm quite sure this is what you're decribing. There are also several other posts about this bug.

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PostPosted: Mon May 10, 2004 10:33 am 
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If this is not it, can you post an image of the bug? It really helps those who may be able to identify it.

About the gold bug, don't ever be surprised about the colors you see in nature. I doubt it was sprayed. My favorite bug is like a leaf-hopper of sorts and it has hot pink and turquoise stripes on it. It likes to hang out on bright blue salvia blooms. Beautiful!

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PostPosted: Mon May 10, 2004 8:59 pm 
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Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2004 10:06 am
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Location: Keller, TX
Hi Sandi.

Thanks for the reply; however, I checked your previous message, and that's not the guy.

I took your advice and tried to capture the little guys on film. Regrettably, my skill with the camera is not very good... and these bugs don't make it any easier.

During my search, I found that not all are as I described. Some are white and look like grubs were it not for the beetle shape. Some are all black. Others, still, look as I attempted to describe. Here are my best attempts at pictures:

Image

Image

The bottom half is deep red, like a lady beetle. Then, there are three or four straight black lines on the bottom half. You can't really tell in this picture, but the very bottom of the bug has a dotted black line.

This was about half the size of a lady beetle... I tried to put my finger next to it to put it in perspective, but it messed up the focus.

Sorry I couldn't get a better picture. These things move fast.

Thanks,
Chris


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PostPosted: Tue May 11, 2004 11:04 pm 
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Location: Houston
They look like they could be nymphs of some sort--maybe of a milkweed bug. That would explain the no wings--they haven't developed them yet. Do you see similar looking bugs nearby, with perhaps slightly different markings?


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