Ever
see those little dots on your mums,
Coreopsis and many
other landscape perennials? You might have thought they
were disease spots but they were caused by a little
insect called the four lined plant bug.
This insect feeds by
eating into the surface layer of the leaf with their
rounded mouth part. As they feed, they inject a
phytotoxic (plant tissue killing) saliva that kills the
tissue and it turns brown.
Four lined plant bugs are
shy and will scurry under nearby leaves to hide if they
hear you approaching. You might have to quietly stand
for a few minutes watching the plant to see them come
into sight.
You could spray these
critters with insecticidal soap IF you are patient
enough to watch for them and get the spray directly on
them. Remember that soap products work by melting the
waxy coating on the outside of the insect so they do not
good if they are just applied to the leaf surface.
