People sometimes use the
terms insect and bugs interchangeably as if they mean
the same thing. However, in the land of entomology,
there is an actually category of insects known as plant
bugs. Also called "true bugs", this group includes plant
bugs, leaf bugs, predaceous bugs and stinkbugs.
Insects in this group
have long legs and antennae with large eyes and the
adults hold their wings flat to their bodies. Both as
larvae and adults, they feed on tender plant tissue by
piercing the surface and eating the cell contents. This
results in tan, brown or bleached spots on the leaves or
stems that are often mistakenly taken for fungal spots.
The females may also
damage plants by laying eggs inside leaves and stems.
They generally have 2 or more generations per year and
can often have late season populations that can do
damage.
