Would this particular insect be coming from sumac trees that are within a foot of my property line? I have an infestation on some of my flower varieties? Shasta Daisy; Echienacia, butterfly bush; is there anyway of getting rid of them? I noticed that some branches are wilting (lost their color) light yellow.
Thank you for contacting the Toronto Master Gardeners about the clouded plant bugs (Neurocolpus nubilus) that are infesting plants in your garden. Yes, smooth sumac (Rhus glabra) is a known host for this bug. These are piercing, sucking insects that kill leaf tissue. Evidence of their presence is small, sunken spots on the leaves. If there are enough spots, the leaves may curl and wither. It is the nymph stage of the lifecycle of these insects that causes most of the damage. They are usually most active in the late spring and early summer, so it may be that at this point the damage is done, although there could be 3-4 generations each year. The nymphs are greenish in colour, and their antennae are horizontally striped in red and white. Small numbers of nymphs can be knocked off the plants into a bucket of soapy water. Larger numbers of nymphs can be controlled with insecticidal soap. Repeated applications might be necessary.
The daisy and mint families of plants are especially susceptible to attack by clouded plant bugs. These families are also known hosts : honeysuckles, dogwoods, hollyhock and roses. If your infestation is extensive and the control methods described above are not having the desired effect, you may want to consider replacing any of these plants that you might have in your garden.
Best of luck with controlling these pests.