Bordered Plant Bug: Largus Succinctus

There are more than 350,000 named species of beetles in the world...no wonder they're running out of names for them. I think there might be 350,000 of this particular one running around our garden. The picture in extras if of the immature nymph or instar. They feed on the liquid from plants and don't do much damage to ornamental flowers although they can definitely mar fruits and berries. The adult form does have wings, though they are hard to discern and I've never seen one fly, but  the instar a shiny irridescent black with red warning triangle on the center of its back lacks fully developed wings. I knew these two bugs showed up at about the same time but didn't know they were related until I read up on them a little.

I was amused at the horticulturist's article saying that they were relatively harmless and that it was not necessary to use pesticides on them. They can be eradicated, he wrote, by 'vacuuming them up with a shop vac or stepping on them'. I have a mental image of us running around the garden with a huge shop vac which could certainly also suck the leaves off the plants.  The instars tend to congregate in clumps and might be easier, but what do you do with a shop vac full of bugs? 

There is an enormous mound of dirt in the middle of the large patch of dead grass in front of our house which we still refer to as a lawn. We don't water it and it is far too big a space to re-landscape but having a dead lawn is a good sign of water conservation compliance. We'd be frowned upon if we had a green lawn. John thinks the enormous mound was made by a gopher. They were notably absent for several years but it seems that now they are baaaack.

David just arrived with a bathtub which he put in our garage. The tile people have our tile but he says the tile guy is booked out for months. Davis says he usually finds a way to fit his jobs in but 'he's not even talking to me now'. I can now practice getting in and out of the bathtub in the garage!