Phlox Plant Bug: Appearance, Territory, Damage and Life Cycle

Latin Name: Lopidea Davisi

Appearance: Plant feeders of the genus Lopidea are rather species-specific. They mostly consume leaves, stem terminals, flowers, and seeds. The bugs frequently congregate in dense concentrations, causing spotting and plant damage. In the eastern United States, Lopidea Davisi is considered a pest of cultivated phlox. It was a major pest of cultivated phlox in Arkansas, Missouri, Minnesota, and West Virginia as early as 1925. It breeds on wild phlox, although it may also fly to neighboring produced types. It has two generations each year, unlike most other Lopidea species. The phlox plant bug spends the winter as an egg in dead phlox stems. In May and June, there is a spring generation. Summer generation begins in July and lasts until late September. The bugs sucking sap from the phlox foliage causes the leaves to darken, curl, dry out, and drop.

Hosts Plants: The phlox plant insect may do a lot of harm to phlox (the only host listed for this species). Lopidea confluenta has been gathered from daylilies and iris where it appears to cause minimal damage, despite the fact that it has been known to cause shriveling and aborting of daylily and iris flower buds.

Territory: It is prevalent in open places such as prairies and woods in eastern North America.

Damage Insect Cause: It mostly feeds on phlox and can cause significant harm to the plant. The feeding of the phlox insect generates white or light green dots on the leaves and buds, which eventually reveal yellow stippling. The leaves eventually turn brown, curl, dry out, and fall to the ground. The plant may get stunted and eventually die.

Life History and Habits: The phlox insect spends the winter as an egg in dead phlox stems. Every year, there are two generations. The first generation appears in late spring, followed by the second generation in mid to late summer. It goes through an incomplete transformation.