what is this beetle?

[PatMorrison]

I found this guy and some younger ones on my cascade plant. Has anyone seen these before? Are they good or bad?



Also, they are hard to spot because they hide behind the bine when you approach. I had to coax it out with my finger.

[straight cash homey]

That is the dreaded West Indian Crotch-Lover's Beetle. It won't hurt your plants, but keep your junk as far away as possible.

[Madtown Brew]

From that angle, it looks more like a moth to me. At any rate, as long as you're not seeing damage to the plants, it's nothing to worry about.

[PatMorrison]

Ok, so I consulted an old college friend who happened to write her PhD thesis on the reproductive behaviours of this particular insect. Turns out it is a glassy-winged sharpshooter. Its a non-native pest (non-native to southern california anyway) that is causing major problems with local vinyards. These things are capable of knocking out entire vinyards. This insect feeds off of the xylem (which passes water and nutrients up and down the plant) of its host and is a carrier for a bacteria that affects the xylem and kills the plants (in grapes for sure).

Does anyone know if Hops are succeptible to bacterial infection? Has anyone heard of this particular insect affecting hops?

Thanks!

[Triple Freak]

Get yourself some Dipel & be done with it.
Dipel contains a naturally occuring bacteria which eats those bugs from the inside out. It's rated for organic farms too, because it occurs naturally in nature.