Please help identify insect.

Discussion in 'Garden Pest Management and Identification' started by randrew1, May 4, 2009.

  1. randrew1

    randrew1 Member

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    I tried looking for a picture of it online... I was waiting outside for a doctor's appointment (( the room was full)) and in the meantime I was gazing at this tree. I thought some ants were moving some white thing..but it turned out to be a critter..

    I looked on the forum and thought I saw a similar description but it turns out his critter was a woolly aphid or something which this one is not.

    I'm curious to know what this is because it just looked odd to me. It didn't seem normal. It wasn't very tiny, maybe 1/4 the size of a caterpillar....it almost looked like one of those arthropod fossils. I saw cotton-like residue leftover from where I believe they were inhabiting. I wasn't sure if they were going after the ants or parts of the tree.. They certainly had no wings... didn't really look insect like either. Segmented body..Moved faster that i assumed it could..

    [​IMG]

    This picture is very similar actually to what it looked like.. Except the sides of the body weren't rounded. Also, it seemed as if parts of the tree were dying and this could be part of it. If you know what this insect is and if it's killing the tree, I'd like to call the office and let em know.

    Thank you,



    Ryan
     
  2. Eric La Fountaine

    Eric La Fountaine Contributor Forums Moderator 10 Years

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  3. randrew1

    randrew1 Member

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    Mmm.. No that's not it. It didn't have a 'shell' yet the body is still proportionally similar to the picture. It seemed to be very flexible too. They were very, very white. At first I thought there was only one, but I looked up in the tree and saw maybe 5 or so crawling around...I have no idea why I was so interested in them but concerning the long 'wait' I was observing for a while...
     
  4. togata57

    togata57 Generous Contributor 10 Years

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    Mealy bug?
     
  5. randrew1

    randrew1 Member

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    I just want to say thanks for replying...

    Anyhow, it looks closer but not quite. I took a picture of it with my camera phone but I don't have enough money to pay for the service to actually send the picture to my computer...

    Quickly I'll describe what I see from my phone. --Must be 8 (maybe more) legs total protruding from left and right sides.. On the front end on the top left/right of it, it looks like it has two symmetrical hook-like appendages.. and a very weird head..Notice how on the mealy bug everything is connected around the head area? It's not in this case.. On the back of this critter it has 4 apendages jutting out. The two on the outside are bigger and the two on the inside are smaller. Almost like two smaller pincers within two large pincers. ((just a comparison, they don't look like actual pincers))

    It looks very simple and clean.. not fuzzy.. it's really weird..

    Sorry, I know this is a pain and probably impossible without the picture..
     
  6. randrew1

    randrew1 Member

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    I managed to Zoom the picture on my phone....and zoom my latop webcam to get a picture. Will upload it now
     
  7. randrew1

    randrew1 Member

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    [​IMG]

    It's a little blurry, but it gives a more accurate description..
     
  8. theredben

    theredben Active Member

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    Sounds like a mealybug to me. The rear appendages are very distinct and sound right.
     

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