What that bug crawling all over your plants is and what you can do about it – Orange County Register

Q. This bug, which I don’t remember seeing in my 30+ years of gardening in the northeast San Fernando Valley, was all over my tomato plants last summer. My questions are: what is it and what conditions caused it to appear in my garden? Is he likely to return this summer and, if so, are there any preventative measures I could take? How can we best eradicate it if it reappears?

This is a leaf-footed insect (Zoned Leptoglossus). They tend to appear on tomato plants and pomegranate trees. Adults are dark brown, about an inch long, with a narrow body and a faint zigzag stripe down the back. The hind legs are notable in that they have a strange structure that appears to have leaves attached (hence the name). They have a long, pointed mouthpart that allows them to pierce leaves, stems or fruits and suck the juice from the plant. Most of the time, damage is minimal, but it can kill young plants and destroy immature fruit. Damage to medium-sized or ripe fruit is usually limited to minor surface imperfections.

It likes to lay its eggs either on the stems or along the midrib of the leaves. The eggs are cylindrical, medium brown, and arranged in a line to resemble a necklace of tiny beads.

In most years, the population of these insects is small enough that they are not a problem. Mild winters, the presence of weeds (especially weed seeds), and the availability of cover (such as woodpiles) can lead to population increases. To reduce the population, control weeds and move woodpiles to a site away from the garden. Use row covers and hand picking to reduce damage. Insecticides are not very effective, so prevention is your best solution.

Q. About 40 years ago I planted an ash tree (5 gallons) in my yard. It has grown into a beautiful tree and is now about 25 feet tall. Every winter it loses its leaves. Last year I had some major plumbing work done and they had to cut out some roots. This year, it hardly loses its leaves. Should I be concerned about the health of this wonderful tree?

When a tree suffers damage to its roots, due to mechanical injury or gopher predation, it sometimes shows its displeasure by sending out several root suckers. If the damage is significant, the tree may lose leaves and generally appear unhappy (wilted leaves, stunted growth, numerous suckers).

Since you know for sure that some roots have been cut, your tree may just be pouting. Keep an eye out for more serious symptoms and make sure he doesn’t experience any water stress this summer. Remove any suction cups that may appear. If the tree is otherwise healthy, its roots should grow back in no time.

Los Angeles County

mglosangeleshelpline@ucdavis.edu; 626-586-1988; http://celosangeles.ucanr.edu/UC_Master_Gardener_Program/

Orange County

ucceocmghotline@ucanr.edu; http://mgorange.ucanr.edu/

Riverside County

anrmgriverside@ucanr.edu ; https://ucanr.edu/sites/RiversideMG/

San Bernardino County

mgsanbern@ucanr.edu ; 909-387-2182; http://mgsb.ucanr.edu